MEDIA
Mumini Alao inducted by Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Veteran Nigerian sports journalist Dr. Mumini Alao has been inducted as an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (CiArb), United Kingdom.
The induction took place on Friday, 10 November, 2023 at the Harbor Point, Victoria Island, Lagos at the year’s Gala Night of the Nigeria Branch of the CiArb.
The Gala Night was the culmination of a three-day international conference held under the theme, “Adapting to the Future: African Perspective on Arbitration and ADR.” Aside from the Nigerian members of the institute who converged on Lagos from all over the country, there were also delegates from Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Benin Republic, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Zambia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom among others.
Altogether, nine sessions were held over the three-day period during which several topical issues in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Africa were extensively discussed by very cerebral and distinguished panelists and moderators. The final session examined the recently passed Nigerian Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 and how it would impact the practice of the profession in the country.
During the induction of new members of the institute that followed, the chairman of the Nigeria Branch, Chief Akingbola Akinola, SAN, a Chartered Arbitrator, charged the inductees to uphold the dignity and integrity of the Institute whenever they were called upon to serve. He administered the oath of membership on them and admonished them to dedicate themselves to the service of society.
Dr. Mumini Alao, former group managing director and now executive consultant at Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspapers, was one of the 35 inducted as associate members of the Institute. Fourteen others were promoted as Members while eight were elevated to the rank of Fellows of the Institute.
Reacting to his induction, Dr. Alao expressed the hope that his more than three decades of experience in sports journalism will be an advantage. He noted: “I realized that we do not have many journalists, particularly sports journalists, who are trained arbitrators in Nigeria. Yet, we regularly have conflicts in our media and sports ecosystems that can be resolved via mediation and arbitration by people who are experienced and familiar with the issues at stake in these sectors.”
Dr. Mumini Alao (right) with Barrister Faruq Abass at the CiArb conference.
He added: “Particularly in Nigerian sports, I feel that we need to develop a proper framework for dispute resolution without recourse to litigation at the regular courts which is frowned upon by international sports federations like FIFA.
“We need the domestic version of the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that will handle local sports disputes with total independence, impartiality, and integrity and whose decisions will be respected by all stakeholders. I hope I can play some role in that regard.
“That’s one of my motivations for joining the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,” he concluded.
The 2024 annual conference of the Nigeria branch of the CiArb is scheduled to hold in Abuja.
By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged Nigeria to adopt sports as a central pillar of national economic development, describing it as an untapped solution to the country’s youth unemployment crisis.
Speaking at the public presentation of sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography at the University of Lagos, Fashola said Nigeria’s policymakers have “ignored a solution hiding in plain sight” by failing to fully develop sports as a business.
“Sports is a profession that employs mainly young people from their teenage years to around 40.
“When I reflect on the Nigerian problem of youth employment, I tell myself that it persists perhaps because we have been ignoring the solution,” he stated.
Fashola cited global examples of sports as a major economic driver, including the English Premier League’s £3.36 billion GDP contribution to the UK economy in 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s recent sports investments that have added 1% to its GDP.
He recommended integrating sports into national development plans, revamping school curricula to nurture talent from an early age, developing modern sports infrastructure, and ensuring safety, security, and good governance in sports administration.
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Top dignitaries expected at the public presentation of frontline journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography have been confirming their attendance at the event, which will hold at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, University of Lagos, on Sunday, 10th August 2025, at 1:00 pm.
Top of the bill is former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who will deliver a lecture on the topic, ‘Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria As a Catalyst for Sports Development.’ Fashola met Alao at the final of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup table tennis tournament at the Teslim Balogun stadium on Tuesday, 5th August and reassured the author of his preparedness for the lecture.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, also noted his commitment to the event in a message sent to the author, who is the speaker’s constituent in the Agege area of Lagos State, where he (Alao) grew up.
Obasa will be the chief presenter of the autobiography. He will be supported by Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.
Also confirming his attendance is the Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Dikko will lead other top sports officials from the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to listen to Fashola’s postulation on Nigerian football.
Rounding off the list of principal guests expected at the public lecture and book presentation is former sports minister Senator John Owan Enoh who is currently the Minister of State for Industry. Enoh wrote a foreword in the book alongside former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.
Other guests expected at the event are federal and states sports associations officials, Nigerian former Olympians and former Super Eagles players, journalists, family, friends, associates and fans of the book writer.
Dr. Mumini Alao, is an accomplished Nigerian sports journalist, author and media entrepreneur. He rose to the position of group managing director of Complete Communications Limited, publishers of widely-read popular journals, Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers. His last published book was “The Making of Nigeria’s Dream Team: Football Gold Medal Winners At Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.”
Alao’s latest work, his autobiography, is a no-holds-barred narration of his professional and private lives spanning 60 years. Dr. Bolu John Folayan of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro will be the book reviewer, while SuperSports presenter, Mozez Praiz, will be the master of ceremony.
The event will be streamed live to a global audience on the YouTube channel of Complete Sports.
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All is set for the public presentation of the autobiography of renowned Nigerian sports journalist, Dr. Mumini Alao, with former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), confirmed as the keynote speaker at the high-profile event.
Dr. Alao, a respected figure in Nigerian sports media and former Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Ltd., announced the development following a meeting with Fashola on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the finals of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup.
Everyone anxiously awaits the launch of the autobiography. It is about one of Nigeria’s best sports journalists. This author has contributed appreciably to Nigeria’s sports literature.
The former governor, who was at the venue to present trophies at the continental table tennis event, confirmed his readiness to speak at the book launch scheduled for Sunday, August 10, at the University of Lagos.
According to Dr. Alao, Fashola will speak on the topic: “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development.”
“I’m sure this topic will be of interest to all of us stakeholders in Nigerian football,” Dr. Alao remarked, while inviting members of the public and sports community to grace the event.
The book, chronicling Alao’s decades-long career in sports journalism, promises to be a compelling reflection on the evolution of Nigerian sports media, landmark events, and the personalities that have shaped the industry.
The launch is expected to attract a broad audience of media professionals, football administrators, athletes, and policymakers.
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