The Lagos state chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN has been the strongest arm of the body of sports writers. This is because SWAN started in the city of Lagos
in 1964 when the founding fathers came together to form an association of journalists who specialized in sports writing.
Majority of Nigerian newspapers were domiciled in Lagos in those days as the federal capital. However, I believe the creation of states which necessitated the formation of regional and state newspapers with sports department across the country led to the formation of a national body to coordinate the various state chapters.
Crisis of leadership once hit the national body, which was dissolved and a caretaker committee was formed with Steve Alabi the Ondo state chapter as interim chairman.
It took the effort of the one and only then Pillar of Sports in Africa, Basorun MKO Abiola to resolve the leadership crisis and a new leader, Fan Ndubuoke, from the Lagos state chapter emerged as its National Chairman.
I remember during one of his visits to his newspaper, the Concord Press in Ikeja, Alabi, the interim chairman in company with Ndubuoke and other members of the new EXCO came to see MKO.
Happy that the crisis was finally resolved and a new chairman had emerged, Basorun Abiola in his usual witty manner congratulated Ndubuoke, raised his right hand and asked the SWAN members present, " will this Fan rotate?"
The chorus was resounding and MKO admonished Ndubuoke to ensure he repositioned the association.
From Ndubuoke's tenure, through Sani Zaria and then Olu Amadasun's time, the national body has had running battle with the Lagos chapter, especially in the area of representation as Lagos felt it contributed more than all other states to the national purse.
Even after the seat of government moved to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Lagos still maintained is leadership among sports writers in Nigeria, as the chapter with the strongest membership.
Even before the national body had a permanent secretariat, Lagos had one right inside the National stadium in Surulere. This was made possible when then Sports Minister, Chief Jim Nwobodo approved a piece of land to the Association close to the Nigeria OlympicCommittee,NOC building.
Lagos SWAN patron, then Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola as well as other patrons, like the late Rev. Moses Iloh, late Daniel Diana, Chairman of Julius Berger Football Club, Dan Ngerem, among other donors contributed towards the building of the secretariat.
National SWAN had not known any crisis since MKO reconciled the warring factions in the early 1990s until Rivers-born Honour Sirawoo mounted the saddle and started ruling like an Emperor.
Sirawoo would want state Exco members to come and welcome him at the airport any time he was visiting. He even ordered the secretary general of the National SWAN, Wale Alabi to always wait for him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport whenever he was visiting Abuja.
Of course Alabi wouldn't take that, making Sirawoo understand that both of them were elected by the same electorates and therefore he wasn't inferior to him.
Like the despot he was turning into, Sirawoo appointed a secretary he could dictate to and started plotting the impeachment of Mr. Alabi. Alabi being wiser than him, resigned his position as National SWAN secretary general. That now gave Sirawoo the opportunity to hoodwink the rest Exco members who danced to his tune.
He then started the decapitation of state chapters, claiming there is only one SWAN which he heads and felt that he could determine who becomes chairman of any chapter.
In the rules and regulations guiding SWAN, state Congress constitutes their electoral committees and only invite both the National SWAN leadership and the state chapter of the NUJ as observers. In fact, in the history of Lagos SWAN, it is the Lagos NUJ that swears in the Exco and not even the National SWA N .
Sirawoo started interfering in State Chapter elections, wanting to plant his stooges.
Lagos SWAN had its election devoid of rancour but Sirawoo objected and instead instituted a Caretaker committee which the Congress also rejected. This created an unnecessary crisis which led to election crisis in Lagos SWAN for the very first time. His handpicked Caretaker Committee were then empowered using the Nigeria Police and DSS to intimidate the authentic Exco who had majority of the members behind them. And Sirawoo's first target was the SWAN secretariat which was generating revenue for the association. He claimed the secretariat belonged to SWAN which he headed
Truth the secretariat belongs to SWAN quite alright, not the NationalbodybuttheLagosstatechapter. And it was fully built by the Fashola government, the governor being the Grand Patron of the Association with support from some other patrons.
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The crisis has lingered for a while now. The members have however, woken up and said enough is enough. They held their Congressatthestadiumearlierthis monthwithtopformerExco members but not at their secretariat.
Why? Because the impostors, claiming they are the authentic Exco and running the secretariat, locked up the place with the backing of policemen reportedly sent by the Lagos state commissioner of Police.
Seeing the calibre of members who attended the meeting, the police officers who were approached on why they sealed the building said they were acting on orders, ostensibly from the Lagos state Commissioner of Police
They however, confessed that they didn't know that the members they were told were fomenting trouble to disturb the peace of the stadium were responsible people.
They felt that the Lagos SWAN crisis was a family issue which could be resolved amicably.
The situation now is that the bonafide members of Lagos SWAN have resolved they want their Association back. And they have begun moves to reclaim it from the impostors because truly the tail cannot continue to wag the dog.
