Ogun State chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has pleaded with the State government, Prince Dapo Abiodun and members of the House of Assembly to speed up the Sports Commission and Sports Trust Fund Bills, so as to help develop sports in the state with the appeal made during the inauguration of the newly elected executive members of the association at the NUJ Press Centre, Iwe-Irohin House, Abeokuta.
Newly-elected executives include Akintunde (Chairman); Jonathan Adekunle (Vice-Chairman); Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji (Secretary); Lekan Agbonde (Treasurer) and Bayo Adegboyega (Assistant Secretary).
The body frowned at the dwindling fortune of the sector in the state, describing it as unfortunate while also indignantly positing that despite the massive talents in the state, the sector is still very much under-developed, noting that for the desired growth to take place, there is need for an all-encompassing national sports policy, which will directly address the improvement of the entire sector.
The newly elected chairman, Akintunde, said: “to experience the desired growth in the Nigerian sports, there has to be an encompassing National Sports Policy, which directly addresses the improvement of the above-listed factors as sports growth around the world is hinged on numbers of factors, which includes: sports management and administration, facilities and equipment, sports personnel, funding and sponsorship, institutional sports growth, sports competition, and festivals”.
Akintunde regretted that since the state hosted the 2006 National Sports Festival and 2009 U-17 World Cup, the growing fortune of the state in sports promotion and growth has gone into extinction.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Dr. Kehinde Oludare, represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Youths and Sports, Olamide Lawal, promised to synergize with the sportswriters, assuring them of government’s support to revive the sector.
