Habbeb Hazzez

The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has restated it unalloyed partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

SWAN NEC at its zoom meeting, also passed a vote of confidence on Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development.

This is contained in a communique signed by the association’s Deputy President, Ado Salisu, who was the Communique Drafting Committee Chairman, as well as Uja Emmanuel and Mike Oboh, the association’s Secretary-General.

The meeting which was presided over by the SWAN National President, Comrade Ahmed Aigbona, and which had all NEC
members in attendance, also resolved that the association would continue to collaborate with the Ministry in the interest of sports
development.

The SWAN NEC said its national body, which is an affiliate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, faulted claim by a factional group, founded in October 2019, and headed by a Permanent Secretary, from Rivers State, that the Sports Minister has no regard for sports writers.

According to the communique, “the claim by that factional group is not only untrue, unfair
and misleading, but an attempt to blackmail the Minister.

“As a journalist of repute himself, the Minister has shown tremendous respect to the media as we are partners in progress in the development of sports in Nigeria.

“Since his appointment, the Minister has enjoyed a robust, cordial and sustained positive relationship with National SWAN, leading to the appointment of two of our esteemed colleagues from Lagos and Abuja as his media aides.

“The media also have unfettered access to the Minister’s media team who provide information and news updates on a regular basis, especially during the just-concluded National Sports Festival, NSF, in Benin,” the SWAN NEC said.

National SWAN then pledged that it would continue to lend support to actualise the Minister’s vision in the best interest of youth and sports development in Nigeria.

SWAN NEC also disagreed that the just concluded National Sports Festival, “Edo 2020,” was the worst National Sports Festival ever organised in the history of Nigeria.