Solomon Dalung

{{Short description|Nigerian Politician, lawyer and academic (born 1964)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific_prefix = Barr

|name = Solomon Dalung

|image = Solomon Dalung in 2016.jpg

|caption = Dalung in 2020

|order =

|office = Minister of Youth & Sports

|term_start = 11 November 2015

|term_end = 28 May 2019

|predecessor = Boni Haruna

|successor = Sunday Dare

|birth_name = Solomon Selcap Dalung

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|9|26|df=y}}

|birth_place =

|death_date =

|death_place =

|nationality = Nigerian

|party = All Progressives Congress

|education = University of Jos

|alma_mater =

|occupation = {{hlist|Politician|lawyer}}

}}

Solomon Selcap Dalung (born 26 September 1964) is a Nigerian lawyer, academic and politician who served as the Minister of Youth and Sports of Nigeria from November 2015 to May 2019.{{cite news|title=Dalung set to be honoured at Independence Hero's Award in Calabar|url=https://www.nan.ng/news/dalung-set-be-honoured-at-independence-heros-award-in-calabar/|access-date=28 January 2019|agency=News Agency of Nigeria|date=13 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014122828/https://www.nan.ng/news/dalung-set-be-honoured-at-independence-heros-award-in-calabar/|archive-date=14 October 2018|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Ifetoye|first=Samuel|title=Dalung vows to fix National Stadium Lagos this year|url=https://guardian.ng/sport/dalung-vows-to-fix-national-stadium-lagos-this-year/|access-date=28 January 2019|work=The Guardian|date=4 January 2019}} He has served in the Nigerian Prisons Service, the University of Jos as a lecturer and as Chairman of Langtang South Local Government in Plateau State.{{cite news|title=Ministerial nominee, Solomon Dalung's CV|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/ministerial-nominee-solomon-dalungs-cv/|access-date=12 January 2019|work=Vanguard|date=11 October 2015}}

Early life and education

Solomon Dalung was born on 26 September 1964 in Sabo Gida, Plateau State.{{cite news|last=Inyang|first=Ifreke|title=8 things you didn't know about new Sports Minister, Solomon Dalong|url=https://dailypost.ng/2015/11/12/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-new-sports-minister-solomon-dalong/|access-date=28 January 2019|work=Daily Post|date=12 November 2015}} He had his primary school education at the Local Education Authority Primary School, Sabon Gida in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State from 1971 to 1977. He then proceeded to Government College Keffi, Nassarawa State for his secondary school education.{{cite news|last=Esene|first=Isime|title=Profile: Is Solomon Dalung the worst minister ever liveth?|url=https://ynaija.com/profile-solomon-dalung-worst-minister-ever-liveth/|access-date=28 January 2019|agency=YNaija|date=7 January 2017}} After his secondary education, he proceeded to the University of Jos, where he graduated with LLB degree in 2000 and was called into the Nigerian Bar in 2001 at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Campus. He obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Jos in 2007 while he was a lecturer at the same Institution.

Career

=Nigerian Prisons Service career=

Barr. Dalung joined the Nigerian Prisons Service as a Prison Assistant in 1982 where he rose to the rank of Assistant Inspector of Prisons. In 1991, while still in the Prisons Service, he enrolled to the Law Program of the University of Jos to obtain a Bachelor of Laws degree which he obtained in the year 2000. Following his training as an attorney at the University of Jos and the Nigerian Law School, he was moved to the Legal Department at Prisons Headquarters Abuja in 2004 where he served as Legal Officer II but he retired the same year from the Prisons Services.

=Academic career=

In 2004, after his retirement from the Nigerian Prisons Service, he took up an appointment as a lecturer with the Law Faculty of the University of Jos.

=Political career=

He started his political Career as a Personal Assistant to Chief Solomon Lar, CON, when Lar was appointed as Adviser Emeritus to President Olusegun Obasanjo until 2003. In 2007, he was appointed the Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Area up till May 2008. In his position as Local Government Chairman, he served as the Plateau State Deputy Chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON) and later as the Chairman of the Association. After his tenure as Local Government Chairman, he made an attempt at representing Langtang North and South at the National Assembly but lost. He was a member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and was also member of President Muhammadu Buhari's Transitional Committee.

Towards the end of his tenure he claimed that he would not be removed as a minister. However, his tenure ended as the minister of youth and sport in May 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/342569-18-former-ministers-who-didnt-make-buharis-new-list.html|title=18 former ministers who didn’t make Buhari’s new list|last=Olufemi|first=Alfred|work=Premium Times|date=23 July 2019|access-date=1 September 2024}}

Personal life

Solomon Dalung is married with children. He lost his first wife in 2017.{{cite news|title=Breaking: Wife of {{as written|Min|siter [sic]}} of Sports, Solomon Dalung, is dead|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/breaking-wife-minsiter-sports-solomon-dalung-dead/|access-date=28 January 2019|work=Vanguard|date=29 January 2017}} He is a Christian.{{cite news|last=Odunayo|first=Adams|title=Nigeria's sports minister talks about converting to Islam (photos)|url=https://www.legit.ng/1108421-i-converted-islam-minister-sports-solomon-dalung-says.html|access-date=1 September 2024|website=Legit.ng|date=6 June 2017}}{{cite news|title=Dalung leads Christian clerics to break fast with Islamic scholars|url=https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/06/dalung-leads-christian-clerics-to-break-fast-with-islamic-scholars/|access-date=28 January 2019|agency=The News Nigeria|date=26 June 2016}}

Awards and recognitions

Solomon Dalung alongside Akinwunmi Ambode, Willie Obiano, Lai Mohammed, Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, Herbert Wigwe Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah were shortlisted to be honoured at the second edition of the "Bunubunu Sports and Culture Award" on Saturday, 2 February 2019.{{cite news|title=Ambode, Obiano, Dalung others for Bunubunu Sports/Culture award|url=https://guardian.ng/sport/ambode-obiano-dalung-others-for-bunubunu-sports-culture-award/|access-date=28 January 2019|work=The Guardian|date=23 January 2019}}

In 2018, he received an award of All Times at the "Independence Hero’s Award" on Saturday, 13 October in Calabar.{{cite news|title=Dalung set to be honoured at Independence Hero's Award in Calabar|url=https://www.nan.ng/news/dalung-set-be-honoured-at-independence-heros-award-in-calabar/|access-date=28 January 2019|agency=News Agency of Nigeria|date=13 October 2018}}

References