SWAN Orders Total Blackout On NFF Coverage

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has announced a nationwide boycott of all activities linked to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), including the Federation’s upcoming Annual General Assembly (AGA) billed for Ibadan, Oyo State.

Naija News reports that the directive, issued on Wednesday, followed what SWAN described as the NFF’s “deliberate and persistent exclusion” of the association from its Congress, the federation’s highest decision-making body.

In a statement jointly signed by SWAN President, Isaiah Benjamin, and the Secretary-General, Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, the association condemned the exclusion, calling it unacceptable, retrogressive, and an affront to the sporting media’s role in national football development.

“The media is a critical tripod in the growth of sports globally. SWAN, as the professional body coordinating sports journalism in Nigeria, has consistently engaged with the NFF on the need to restore our rightful place in its Congress. Yet, while the Federation claims to be expanding its Congress, it continues to sideline us, a move that is both short-sighted and detrimental to Nigerian football,” the statement read.

The body accused the NFF leadership of fostering division in football administration, noting that Nigeria’s consistent failures on the global stage reflect deep-rooted maladministration.

“Despite enormous financial and institutional support from the Federal Government, state governments, and private sponsors, Nigeria’s football continues to nosedive. It is time to put a decisive end to this dangerous trend. Nigeria cannot afford to watch its most cherished sport deteriorate under avoidable circumstances,” the statement added.

Naija News reports that SWAN also directed its members nationwide to cease coverage and promotion of all NFF-related activities with immediate effect.

It also announced the creation of a task force to enforce compliance and promised to launch a thorough investigation into what it described as maladministration within the NFF.

“Simultaneously, the Association will begin a thorough investigation and public exposure of the maladministration and backward practices now synonymous with the Federation’s operations, practices that have contributed to Nigeria’s repeated World Cup qualification failures,” the statement said.

SWAN reaffirmed its position as a critical stakeholder in Nigerian football and vowed not to accept marginalisation.

“The exclusion of SWAN from the NFF Congress is no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated. We stand resolute in defending the integrity and rightful role of the sporting media in the Nigerian football ecosystem,” it concluded.

Source: Naijanews