The National Sports Commission described President Bola Tinubu’s redefinition and strengthening of the nation’s sports sector as instrumental in engaging youths and setting the nation among the best models for sports development in the continent.
Chairman of the Commission, Shehu Dikko, gave the commendation while declaring open the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Diamond Jubilee celebration at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. Dikko praised SWAN for rallying sports journalists from across the country to celebrate no less than six decades of impacting sports journalism.
He called on the association members to be professional in discharging their duties and ensure balance in reporting, warning them against running stories that would tarnish the image of the nation’s sports industry. “If we fail as a commission, then that means SWAN has also failed,” he said.
The wife of the Senate President, Dr. Ekaette Akpabio, who was represented by the wife of Senator Ekong Sampson, in a presentation titled “Engaging the Girl Child through Sports Empowerment,” called for more girls’ involvement in sports from the grassroots level upward. She called on SWAN to promote female athletes who aim to compete at global events.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, in his paper “The Missing Link: Political Will as a Driver of National Development,” hailed SWAN’s six decades of commitment to recording Nigeria’s sports history. “Your pens and microphones have immortalized our heroes and constructively critiqued our shortcomings,” he said.
In his welcome address, SWAN President Isaiah Benjamin characterized the celebration as a milestone in the history of the association and an opportunity to recognize its past heroes. He announced that the high point of the event would be a fundraising dinner to support the long-awaited construction of SWAN’s permanent secretariat.
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