Senator John Owan Eno, the Minister of Sports Development, extended an appeal to the members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) to approach their reporting in an objective manner rather than resorting to sensationalism.
He conveyed this plea during a courtesy visit by Mr. Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, the President of SWAN, along with several members of the organization’s national executive committee and other representatives. The meeting took place at his office within the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja yesterday.
The minister acknowledged that the field of sports is fortunate to have dedicated journalists who are genuinely invested in its growth. He encouraged SWAN members to maintain a commitment to unbiased reporting and to avoid sensationalizing their coverage.
As a former legislator, he openly acknowledged that any individual appointed as the Minister of the Sports Ministry must actively involve and collaborate with the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria in order to achieve success.
“The sports sector is one of the sectors that has dedicated journalists concerned about its development.
“The beginning step of anyone who would be minister is this kind of engagement with SWAN and I thank you for that.
“I thank you for your commitment to work together with us, it matters a lot to me, especially given what I came to hear about this ministry and what the media can do to anyone sitting in this chair, it shows the importance of SWAN.
“Your request that you want to be part of what I am doing, not to be told what I have done, I’ll take that seriously because I used to be a good student and I do listen very well. I’ll take that as gospel and I’d do all I can to make sure that I didn’t go wrong.
“But sometimes, the problem may come from you because some of you are very sensational in your reports. It was for the sake of sensationalism that the first report about me was about the appointment of a farmer as sports minister. In that same profile, whoever saw it, you also saw a politician and philanthropist. If he wanted to be kind to me, he would have said a philanthropist was appointed as minister of sports.
“I would like to urge you to urge your members to report me positively. Be objective as you can, not causing a crisis by being sensational. Thank you,” Enoh warned.
Senator Enoh emphasized that he is committed to conducting his duties with integrity and will not intentionally engage in any wrongdoing. He acknowledged his fallibility, stating, “However, I am a human being, like everyone else. I am not infallible like the Pope. Nevertheless, I am conscientious about making the correct choices.”
Prior to this, Mr. Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, the President of SWAN, expressed that the purpose of their visit was to extend their support to the minister in his efforts to elevate the sports sector to higher levels.
“As partners in progress, we are available to ensure you succeed. It’s our job to promote both the athletes and administrators.
“Sports is a media event, if your achievements are not showcased to the world, not much will be achieved. We will tell the story better to the outside world, because that is our commitment,” he said.
