The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria on Friday appointed former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, as its national patron.
Honour Sirawoo, the President of SWAN, announced the appointment when he led other members of the association’s national executive council on a courtesy call to Daniel at his country home in Sagamu, Ogun State.
Sirawoo said that Daniel was appointed due to the outstanding feat he achieved in sports development as a governor.
The SWAN president said that the association was not in the state in the name of politics but had come to recognise excellence.
Sirawoo said: “We have not in any way come here in the name of politics, we came here to recognise excellence and to recognise your involvement in the development of sports while you were in office as governor.
“For anybody to take our youths out of the streets through sports, I think that person should be celebrated and commended.”
He said that sports writers developed, facilitated and promoted sports, noting that SWAN had a unique role in sports development in the country.
Responding, the former governor appreciated SWAN for recognising his achievements in office.
Daniel explained that he couldn’t have achieved anything without the support of members of his executive council.
He said that sports remained the greatest instrument of unity, employment generation and economic emancipation in the country.
Daniel said: “By the instrumentality of sports, we repositioned the state and the origin of what has turned around Ogun was our investment in sports.
“During our time we hosted the National Sports Festival and also the FIFA U-17 World Cup which eventually exposed the state to the outside world.”
He pleaded with well to do Nigerians like Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga Jnr. to invest in sports to revamp the sector.
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