The Imo State government has urged members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria in the state to prioritise the promotion of home groomed athletes.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Public Orientation, Declan Emelumba, stated this when he received members of the association in Owerri, on Wednesday.

Mr Emelumba, who congratulated the sports writers on a recent successful election, assured them that the ministry would partner SWAN for the promotion of sports and public enlightenment.

He tasked them to promote the state’s athletes and beckoned on Imo SWAN to continue to give positive information on athletes from the state..

Mr Emelumba also urged the Imo SWAN to continue to give positive support to the home athletes whom he said could perform at the highest level if given the opportunity.

He said, “I congratulate the newly elected executives for a successful election and to also state that supporting this association has always been part of my duty and I can assure you that I will continue to support the association. It is quite disheartening to note that some of our athletes are representing other states but the most important thing is that the government will always ensure that the right incentives will be made available to help them succeed, which you all can testify that the government of Imo State has been doing. 

“Though for some of them, no matter the incentives, they might want to still represent other states so it is important for the athletes to have the passion for representing the state and that is when the level of patriotism is tested. The necessary things will be done to help encourage them and I am sure you must have realised that the governor is a sports loving person and has always supported sports.’’

The commissioner, however, apologised for the omission of sports category in the entry for the 2023 Governor Hope Uzodimma Media Excellence Awards and assured that the mistake would never be made again in subsequent editions.

He urged Imo SWAN to constructively criticise the state-sponsored teams and technical officials who were not doing well; for them to brace up and ensure that taxpayers’ hard earned money is judiciously spent.

Earlier, the newly elected Imo SWAN chairman, Cosmos Chukwuemeka, noted with delight the governor’s efforts in uplifting sports in the state.

He also pointed out the impact of the 3R administration as a motivation to Heartland FC, Heartland Queens and other sports.

Mr Chukwuemeka further appealed to the commissioner for an opportunity for Imo SWAN to have an audience with Mr Uzodimma.

This, he noted, would among other things, enable the association and the Imo State government to deliberate on how to move sports forward in the `Eastern Heartland.’  

(NAN)