Lagos Swan petitions Nuj over Sirawoo's refusal

LAGOS SWAN PETITIONS NUJ OVER SIRAWOO'S REFUSAL TO ENDORSE OBI FOR AIPS ELECTION
The Lagos chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has lodged a formal complaint to the National Executives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) over the refusal of the SWAN National President, Honour Sirawoo to endorse the candidacy of Nigeria's Mitchel Obi for the election of AIPS Africa.
Mitchel Obi, who is currently the President of AIPS Africa, the umbrella body of all sports journalists in Africa, is going for second term but he is being denied the opportunity to re - contest.
The complaint was lodged via a lengthy letter sent to NUJ, copies of which were made available to newsmen and was reproduced below.
February 20, 2017
The Chairman
Nigeria Union of Journalists
Lagos State Council
The Secretary
Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN)
Members of the National Executive Committee
Sports Writers Association of Nigeria
The Secretary
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
National Headquarters, Abuja
Dear Sirs,
Complaint of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ((SWAN), Lagos State Chapter, against the Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Honour Sirawoo.
We bring you the warm compliments and high regards of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos State Chapter.
We write to officially bring to your attention a case of unfair treatment meted out to our senior colleague and immediate constituent, Mr. Mitchel Obi, President of the AIPS Africa and Vice President of AIPS, to inform you of the reaction of the Congress of Lagos Sports Writers and to further seek your intervention for justice to be done.
The facts of the matter are as follows:
1. Mitchel Obi is the incumbent President of AIPS Africa and Vice President of the world body as elected by our brother African countries, by virtue of which a Nigerian and Nigeria holds the leadership of the Africa zone of the AIPS.
2. The AIPS has slated its congress for May in South Korea at which elections will be conducted for a new term.
3. Mr. Mitchel Obi, former sports editor at The Guardian, former Editor Guardian Express, former Presenter of Master Sports on the NTA network service and currently Presenter/Producer of Sports Extra on AIT, applied to the National body of SWAN for nomination via a letter dated February 3, 2017, to enable him re-contest to renew his mandate as President AIPS Africa and Vice President AIPS.
4. The said letter was duly sent to the President/Chairman of SWAN, Mr. Honour Sirawoo, the Secretary of SWAN, Mr. Wale Alabi, and copied the chairman of the Lagos chapter, Mr. Fred Edoreh.
5. The deadline for submission of all nominations was February 9, 2017.
6. No other member of SWAN applied to National SWAN for nomination to contest for any position.
7. To our chagrin, the National Chairman of SWAN refused to convey the letter of nomination on behalf of Mitchel Obi by and even after the deadline.
8. By the guidelines of the AIPS elections, the letter of nomination could be signed by either the Chairman or Secretary of SWAN.
9. Following delays by the SWAN Chairman to dispatch the letter of nomination of Mr. Obi, we got worried and made several appeals to him to not let Mr. Obi and by extension, Nigeria, lose the mandate.
10. Further appeals were made to him by various members of NEC including Mr. Alloy Chukwuemeka, ex Officio; Alhaji Isah, Chairman Yobe State NUJ and SWAN ex-Officio; Ado Salisu, North West VP; Boye Ajayi, South West VP; Wale Joseph, Deputy National Secretary and others.
11. Further appeals were also made by the Secretary of our great union, Mr. Liman Shuaib and elders/leaders like Wahab Oba, Musa Ebhomian and Deji Elumoye.
12. Top sports personalities, understanding the ugly implication of Nigeria losing the mandate, also appealed to him. They include the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick; Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Shehu Dikko; CEO of the LMC, Nduka Irabor; Special Assistant to Honourable Minister of Sports, Nneka Anibeze; Chairman of the Referees Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Fresh and others.
13. With all these appeals, the SWAN Chairman promised he will be in Lagos on February 8 to act on the need but he never showed up.
14. To our surprise, the SWAN Chairman rather sent a letter to the AIPS declaring that Nigeria has no candidate to contest for any position in the AIPS elections.
15. Further to our chagrin, the SWAN Chairman made a personal call to the AIPS President, Mr. Gianni Merlo, to discredit Mr. Obi with a declaration that he is not a qualified journalist and not a card carrying member of SWAN.
16. Not only did
SWAN chairman deny Mr. Obi the deserved nomination, he has caused the public space to be awash with disreputable allegations that Mr. Obi, a well known professional and iconic practitioner, is not a journalist. These to our utter embarrassment and to that of well meaning Nigerian public and our African colleagues in sports journalism.
17. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Obi is a fully registered and up to date member of SWAN.
18. His last Identification number is SWAN/LA/007 as issued by the National SWAN for a three year circle that terminated in December 2016.
19. It is important to note that since the expiration of the said circle of identification cards, SWAN has not issued any other series of ID cards to any member as the national body is only currently testing a portal for central membership renewal and registration which it put up only on February 5, 2017.
20. On his NUJ membership, while your good office is in a better position to determine, we are aware that Mr. Obi was duly registered in 1983 and his membership registration number is 1836.
21. We have also contended that in the event that he might be owing some dues, the practice would be to call him up to pay up as is done during NUJ and SWAN and even at the AIPS elections where organisations and chapels are made to pay up back logs of their check off or membership dues, rather than closing the door on them.
22. We also contend that the best attitude of comradeship should be to support our members on international mandate rather than drag them down.
23. Lagos SWAN is further surprised that the SWAN chairman acted unilaterally without any official input from members of NEC nor any committee set by NEC as confirmed to us by various members of NEC including the National Deputy Secretary and South West Vice President who are from our zone.
24. We consider such style of governance arbitrary, dictatorial and tyrannical, and unacceptable to Lagos SWAN as the way to run our national body or handle issues that affect our plurality and relate to the international community.
25. We wish to emphasise that we see no gain for SWAN and Nigeria in denying Mr. Obi nomination and further proceeding to tarnish his image before the Nigeria public, the AIPS community and the global community.
26. We also do not see any value in a relationship in which the leadership seeks to truncate the progress of its members and standing of its nation in the international community rather than promoting same, especially so as Mr. Obi was unopposed by other African nations.
27. Following these oddities, the Congress of Lagos SWAN has been left with no choice than to conclude that the actions of the SWAN chairman is barefacedly wicked and inimical to the interest of our nation, the progress of the NUJ and SWAN in the global space, and particularly malicious to Mr. Obi and Lagos SWAN.
28. Given this situation and for fear of further affliction, the Congress of Lagos SWAN was moved to pass a vote of no confidence on the Chairman of SWAN and has declared that it will under the circumstances not submit it to his authority which gives no assurance.
29. We forward to you here by attachment, the resolution of the Congress of Lagos SWAN and hereafter the letter by Mr. Mitchel Obi to National SWAN requesting for nomination; the rough sheet showing the list of the batch of members in which Mr. Obi was issued the last SWAN identification card; the letter, albeit malicious, which the SWAN chairman wrote to the AIPS saying Nigeria has no candidate for the AIPS election notwithstanding that Mr. Obi had applied for nomination and despite appeals by various segments of our profession, the sports community and well meaning Nigerians.
30. These, Sirs, for your insight and possibly action and intervention for remedy.
Thank you.
Yours in service,
Fred Edoreh
Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter.