The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has announced a nationwide boycott of all activities related to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, including the Federation’s upcoming Annual General Assembly, AGA, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The directive, issued on Wednesday by the leadership of the association, follows what SWAN described as the NFF’s “deliberate and persistent exclusion” of the Association from the Congress, the Federation’s highest decision-making body.
In a statement jointly signed by the SWAN President, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, and the Secretary-General, Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, the Association condemned the NFF’s actions as “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.
SWAN accused the NFF leadership of adopting a divisive approach to football administration, warning that the continued decline in the nation’s football fortunes is a reflection of ongoing 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 read.
Effective immediately, all SWAN members across the country are instructed to cease coverage and promotion of any NFF-related activity.
“A task force will be set up to ensure strict enforcement of this directive. 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 added.
SWAN reaffirmed its position as a critical stakeholder in Nigerian football and vowed to resist any attempt to marginalize the sporting media.
“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,” the statement concluded.
