The Commissioner of Youth, Sports and Creativity, Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange has assured that henceforth, the Ministry will partner the Benue State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), to succeed.
Hon Ikyange gave the assurance Wednesday, when the leadership of the association paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Makurdi.
He said, “I am happy that today, we have a functional SWAN in the state, that will help in sports reportage and propagate the work of the ministry. Ours is to formulate polices and drive sports development and if the public does not know what we do then we would have failed in our responsibilities as a ministry. So it is mandatory that we work with SWAN”.
The Commissioner who tasked the members to ensure that they report adequately the activities of Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, averred that, “now that SWAN is in place, you will make it as a point of duty to ensure publicity of Lobi’s activities and by so doing, the attention of the government will be shifted there and they will act accordingly”.Her further said, “we want to know what Lobi is doing and what ways the government can help because this will shape a lot of things, so you need to do a lot of work”.
Hon Ikyange who directed the Director of Sports in the Ministry, Terzungwe Chugh to secure an office accommodation for use by the SWAN as secretariat at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, explained that, “we will secure a sizeable office for you to have a functional office where we can contact you when the need arise and when you grow much better, we will be thinking of building a secretariat for SWAN in Benue Stat
“He congratulated the new leadership on their victories and said, “on the issue of the Governor Cup, you will be briefed accordingly so that you will be part of the activities”.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Benue State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria SWAN, Hembadoon Orsar who said they were in his office to introduce the newly elected leadership of the association to him, thanked him for reconciling the SWAN in the state.
She said, ” it is your cogent, timely and highly perspective intervention that has given birth to this new leadership and we are enjoying relative peace and unity”.
Orsar while appealing to the Commissioner to facilitate the process of securing an office accommodation for use by the association as a Secretariat, assured him that, “the SWAN will support you and give the Ministry adequate coverage and publicity that they need”.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, John Akume said, “if whatever the government is doing through the commissioner and you don’t report it, the public that we are serving will not appreciate our efforts”.
Akume while wishing the new leadership a memorable tenure said, “the ministry will give you the maximum cooperation that you desire so that you will be heard beyond Benue State”.
Also speaking the Director of Sports in the ministry, Terzungwe Chugh declared that, “we look up to you for a cordial working relationship so that the objectives of Benue State in terms of sports will be achieved”.
