Enugu State Ministry of Youths and Sports has expressed its readiness to partner the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) to ensure sports development in the state.
The Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ekweremadu Jr., gave the assurance to the SWAN executives when they paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Friday.
Addressing the SWAN executive, Ekweremadu appreciated them for visiting the ministry and noted that the ministry is ever willing to partner the association for the growth of sports in the state.
He promised to make the association feel comfortable with the ministry in any possible way while noting that government alone cannot handle all sports.
He said that all hands must be on deck to achieve this objective.
“This partnership is necessary because we need to tell the people and the world what we are doing.
“We are going to consider your request of an office and other things,” he said.
He promised to be transparent and accountable to the people in the course of repositioning sports in the state and always make information available to the appropriate quarters.
Earlier, the Chairman, Sports Writers Association for Nigeria (SWAN) Enugu chapter, Gideon Iwueke, thanked the Commissioner for giving the association the room for the discussion.
Iwueke said that the visit was to explore synergy with the ministry to enhance sports reportage and development in the state
He told the Commissioner that the association has been in synergy with the past administrators and will want to help him achieve a lot in the sports industry.
The chairman told the Commissioner that the association needed to be carried along in the ministry’s activities within and outside the state.
He said that the Association needed an office at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, a bus that can convey SWAN members to activities outside the state.
Osondu Ngwude, a SWAN member, told the commissioner that Enugu was supposed to be ahead of other states in terms of Sports development.
He regretted that the state is gradually losing its position in sport development among the South East states and that something needed to be done about it.
Ngwude called for the rehabilitation, upgrading and building of sports facilities where necessary and ensuring that they are used for the purpose they are made for.
Ngwude also told the commissioner that sports in the state not only football should be in fore front and other states for other states in South East to follow.
“I do not want to see a situation whereby the commissioner will be regarded as commissioner for Rangers FC instead of sports and Youths development,” Ngwude advised.
Chibuzor Nwoye, the SWAN treasury, said that the problem of the previous commissioner was vision, noting that a commissioner made the mistake of saying that Rangers can play any where and still get result.
“We all know that Rangers is an Eastern club but they have base in Enugu and should play their home matches at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.
He urged the current Commissioner to always make information available to the masses by honouring invitation by media houses.
Nwoye called the attention of the state government to the provision of more sports facilities.
NAN
