Give us a football club, Anambra SWAN tells Soludo

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Anambra State chapter, has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to give the people of the state a football club of their own like other states of the federation, especially now that there was a top notch facility in the state for that purpose.

SWAN also called for the revival of the sports culture for which Anambra State was known through the activation of Inter-House Sports, School Sports and State Sports festival as a spring board towards the revitalisation of Sports in the state.

This was contained in a communique issued by the organisation at the end of its Monthly Congress in Awka and signed by the State Chairman, Tony Oji, and secretary, Patrick Anaso, respectively.

It congratulated Gov. Soludo, who has entered the record books as the fifth Executive Governor of the state, on his victory and assumption of office as the Governor of Anambra State and also hailed him for his untiring efforts towards restoring security and social stability in the state.

The nine-point communiqué partly reads: “SWAN calls on the administration in the state under Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for the setting up of a Stadium Management Committee for the facility to ensure proper management and maintenance of the facility for profitable use and sustainability.

“It is our considered opinion that giving attention to sports and making adequate investment in the sporting sector will go a long way in complementing efforts at ensuring peace in the state because of the alternative and opportunities it provides for the teeming youth population,” the Communiqué added.

“That SWAN is grateful to the past Anambra State government under His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, for constructing the Awka City Stadium pitch, which has been adjudged as one of the best in the country at the moment.

“The stadium is not only befitting of the status of Anambra State as the foremost sporting state in Nigeria, it has also helped to create a budding sports economy which should be sustained.

“SWAN, calls for a proper constitution of the Anambra State Sports Development Commission according to the organogram in its Establishment Act for optimal planning, implementation and output in the sports sector.

“We call for the revival of the sports culture for which Anambra State is known through the activation of Inter-House Sports, School Sports and State Sports festival as a spring board towards the revitalisation of Sports in the state.

“We call for regular training and retraining programs for Anambra State athletes and technical officials; as well as participation in national and international competitions,” the communiqué concluded.

While deliberating on the state Of Sports in Anambra, the body of Sports Writers said Governor Soludo could restore the state’s pride of place in national and international sports, with proper harnessing of the sporting potentials of the youths, especially now that an ultra-modern sports stadium has been built in Awka, the state capital.