The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) at the weekend disclosed that it would spend the N11.4 million COVID-19 palliative it got from world football governing body, FIFA, on its new secretariat, members welfare, and capacity building. It also added that the money will come in handy in settling its staff salaries and operational cost.
Rising from an expanded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja at the weekend, SWAN also said it would build a permanent secretariat on the land given to it in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, SWAN directed all member states “where the tenure of the executive committees have expired, to conduct elections on or before March 31, 2021. Some of the states include Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Gombe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, and Benue.”
It applauded the collaborative initiative of the Vice President, North West, Idris Malikawa, with the British Council to enable members to acquire a diploma and postgraduate diploma in journalism and urged the national secretariat to adopt the model as part of its capacity-building programmes.
On the National Sports Festival billed to hold in Benin City, SWAN said the January 3 to 18, 2021 dates announced by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development was doubtful and urged the Ministry, Edo State government and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to harmonize on a suitable date for the Festival.
The journalists union, which in recent times has been enmeshed in crisis, said following appeals from respected Nigerians and stakeholders, it has accepted to extend a hand of fellowship to sportswriters “willing to return to SWAN and urges them to register through the national platform provided for such.”
