Swan requires an immediate inauguration of the NSC) Board

Swan requires an immediate inauguration of the NSC) Board

In its attempt to check alleged corruption in the sports sector, the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to immediately inaugurate its Board of Directors of 17 members.

Founded in 1964, Swan, the umbrella organ for all editors, journalists, producers and sports presenters, warned that the commission is operating in serious violation of its law established with the delay of an adequately established NSC council.

President of the Swan, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, in a declaration through the Secretary General Abb. Ikenna Okonkwo, Sunday, said that the Commission worked without a legal advice from its creation in October 2024, contrary to the NSC Establishment Act 2023.

“As a member of the NSC Board of Directors, I am forced to solicit the President and the General Manager to take all the necessary measures to inaugurate the Council without further delays,” said President Benjamin.

“Operating without a duly set up for almost a year, it is not only a violation of the law, but also undermines transparency and responsibility.”

He said that section 2 (1) of the law “is very clear” on the composition of the Board of Directors, which includes representatives of ministries, sports bodies, organized private sector, academy, medical field, military, people with disabilities, football federation of Nigeria, association of professional players from Nigeria and Swan.

“There is no lawful way to manage the National Sports Commission without adequately established advice.

“All the main decisions taken from October 2024 are lacking in legal support in the absence of the Board of Directors,” he added.

The president of the swan also connected the situation to a wider governance model in Nigerian sports, citing in progress with the football federation of Nigeria and the disputes on the athletic federation of the Nigeria elections.

“The NSC cannot continue to work as an entity of two men-comprehend only the president and the general manager-twenty other 15 constitutionally obliged positions remain not filled.

“This problem will remain on the front burner until the law is obeyed,” he warned.

Swan also complained of the abandonment of the association in the operations scheme, in particular in supervising the involvement of expert, qualified and qualified communication managers to manage the media operations of various sports federations.

According to President Benjamin, this “would integrate the NSC service, would improve promotion and increase the digital marketability of sports for sponsorship units”.

He added: “Ignoring Swan’s competence in this regard is a missed opportunity to exploit professional sports journalism for the growth of national sport”.

Swan has also observed that a situation in which national and international events are unilaterally performed without the necessary inputs by the professional media body was unacceptable.

“One of the main reasons why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his wisdom has approved a national sports commission is to allow the accelerated and holistic growth and the development of sport in Nigeria. What was achieved in the past when the sport was under the ministry or the bureaucratic dimensions should be a memory of the past with the emergency of the ENSC.

“A situation in which the useless political/non -professional application or non -professional approach is distributed in the daily operations of the sports commission is not far the way to go,” says the note.