Sports

SWAN remains dependable partner with the Youth and Sports Ministry, restates confidence in Dare

Published

4 years ago

April 20, 2021

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has resolved to continue to remain a dependable partner with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

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

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.

According to the communique, the SWAN NEC faulted the claim of one AIPS-affiliated SWAN which was founded in
October 2019 in Port Harcourt and is being led by one Permanent Secretary in the Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Honour Sirawoo.

The SWAN NEC said its national body, which is an affiliate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), was not party to the communique which claimed that the Sports Minister has no regard for sports writers.

“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.

It added that the insinuation that the Minister has no regard for the media was unfounded and an attempt to soil the Minister’s relationship with his constituency.

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.

“National SWAN holds the Minister in the highest esteem and we
will do everything professionally possible to create a conducive
environment for him to succeed,” it said.

SWAN NEC also disagreed that Edo 2020, which ended on April 21, was the worst National Sports Festival ever organised in the history of Nigeria.

It said this was more in the consideration of the attendance of
participating states and the world-class facilities provided across
the 11 centres used for the event.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was a success.”

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

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Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

4 days ago

May 29, 2025

The Gleamer

…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday

Joel Ajayi

After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.

Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.

The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.

A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.

The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.

From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.

The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.

The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.

The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.

As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.

” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.

The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.

” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.

” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.

The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.

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