Sports
NAN’s Reporter Bags Best Sports Journalist Award
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Osun State chapter, yesterday presented “Best Sports Journalist Award” to Olajide Idowu of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for his outstanding contributions and coverage of sporting activities in the state.
Tide Sports source reports that Idowu was honoured with the award at the second edition of Osun SWAN Sports Awards 2018, held at the Atlantis Civic Event Centre in Osogbo.
Mr Adeniyi Adeshina, chief press secretary to Osun Governor, who chaired the event, commended the state SWAN for honouring sports men and women as well as prominent sports personalities and supporters in the state.
Adeshina said the state government would continue to support sports writers to boost sports development as well as uplift grassroot sports in the state.
The Chairman of Osun SWAN, Mr Adeyemi Aboderin, in his address said that the award was organised to appreciate those who are excelling and pushing the cause of sports development.
Aboderin said the award was to encourage the awardees to do more and to also encourage others to get involved in sports development and promotion.
“The awards are to recognise and appreciate those that have excelled and contributed to sports and sport development in Osun.
“It is also to appreciate our own people, sports writers, who had been giving sports adequate coverage and helping sports promotion in the state,” he said
Idowu, the awardee, in his own remark, thanked SWAN for the award and for recognising his works in the area of sport coverage.
He promised to continue to give sports the needed coverage and help promote grassroots sports and sports generally through his reportage.
Tidesports reports that others that bagged awards included: sports athletes, coaches and sports promoters, formal NFF technical director, Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba, formal Tecnical Director of CAF, Dr Amos Adamu, and Nigerian-American Basketballer, Olumide Oyedeji.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.
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