I came, I saw and I achieved, Dalung says of his tenure as Minister

April 20 14:46 2019 by The Ajasa News Print This Article

By Martin Odiete

Nigeria minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has stated that he is leaving the ministry a very happy man having contributed positively to the growth of sports in Nigeria in the last four years.

While reeling out his achievement in the last four years, Dalung told www.theajasanews.com in a interview at his office in Abuja that he was been able to move Nigeria sports to a better position from where he met it when he arrived.

“I just want to summarize that if I leave sports today, I am leaving as a very happy person.  I am very happy because the level of records broken under my watch was numerous. For instance in scrabbles in 2015 that was the first time a Black Country, an African country won the Championship of Scrabbles. That was the first time in 2015. We won the championship back to back in 2017. We will be going also to this year’s competition.

“I will not forget too soon the record of a young Nigerian in the Olympics. He went to the Olympics for the very first time in Canoe and Rowing and Nigeria qualified as the first African country to sail through to the semi-finals of the event in Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

“One of the achievements that remain very dear in my mind is the female hockey team. In 2018 they won bronze in African Championship. That was the first time in 14 years the team have achieved that. I will not also forget too soon the contribution of great men and women in basketball who have actually made this country proud especially the female basket ball team in Spain. D’ Tigress was the first African basketball team in 100 years to qualify to the quarter-finals of the World Championship when the team demolished Greece to achieve this great feat.

“When they sailed through to the quarter-finals after beating Greece I have even forgotten that the day was my Birthday. They rallied round and came to where I was sitting and they sang the birthday song for me. I will never forget that dasy in my life.

“I will not also forget our female football team. They have done this country very great. They maintained their dominance as Africa’s number one team which they have done consistently for a very long time.

“I also will not forget the contribution of our female wrestlers. We have some wonderful Nigerian wrestlers in the Wrestling Federation that have broken world records.

“Also the Para Lifting Federation have amazing Nigerians. Those ones are world champions. Any time you call for any competition they win and set world records.

“The last interesting one is the Under 19 Cricket team. Remember Nigeria is not a cricket playing country. But this team went to Namibia defeated known cricket countries in Africa and they emerged as Champions and also booked the world championship ticket. So these type of achievements with so many others will continue to remain fresh in my memory and they make me happy,” he concluded.

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