SWAN President Honour Sirawoo
Members of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos chapter rose from an emergency congress on Friday to denounce some activities of the National and Executives of the association, which they alleged were anti progressives.
Members of Lagos SWAN at the end of the congress released a Communiqué to voice out their dissatisfaction with some action of the president of the association, Mr Honour Sirawoo.
The Communiqué reads: “In view of the fact that due process was not followed in the purported registration of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria at the CAC, Lagos SWAN dissociates itself from the registration and the current leadership of National SWAN until these issues are satisfactorily determined.
“Particularly, Lagos SWAN was not a party to any convention, Full Council Meeting where the resolution was taken or ratified. Lagos SWAN is not aware of any meeting at which the Trustees were elected or appointed or ratified.
“Lagos SWAN disagrees with the lack of due process in the suspension of the Deputy National Secretary, Mr Wale Joseph, by the National Executive Committee. We find it undemocratic for any punitive action, no matter how tentative, to be taken against member without any hearing whatsoever. Furthermore, we consider it dangerous and against the interest of freedom of expression for members to be punished for expressing their opinions on issues at state congresses as is the case for which Wale Joseph has been persecuted. This in our view is a sure part to dictatorship which is capable of destroying the association.
“Lagos SWAN considers it unsafe for the interest of the association for the National Secretariat to be run without any of the elected National Secretary and the Deputy National Secretary.
“Lagos SWAN decries the lack of vision, commitment and non existence of programmes and projects in the activities of the present national leadership directed at imparting on the welfare, capacity building of members and the advancement of professional practice.”