The National President of Sports Writers of Nigeria (SWAN), Mr. Isaiah Benjamin was in Lagos recently on a peace mission to discuss and to lay it bare to every genuine sports writer in the Centre of Excellence that his National Executive Committee (NEC) would only recognize the only elected chairman in Lagos State who is Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni and her executive.
The meeting, which was convened at the instance of the number one sports writer in Nigeria, and with the genuine spirit of finding a lasting solution to the ‘perceived crisis’ rocking the state chapter, President Benjamin literally begged that all warring factions should sheath their swords for peace to reign.
The meeting has in attendance notable members of the state chapter who included the chairman herself, Ambassador Oladunni, veteran sports editors – Mr. Kunle Salami, Mr. Victor Enyinnaya, Mr. Tony Ubani, Mr. Taiwo Adelu, Enitan Obadina, Mrs Oluchi Tobe-Chukwu, Mrs Blessing Nwosu, Bello Omotunde, Mr. Kaseem Ajibola, Oni Afolabi, Patrick Ibeh and a host of others who reasoned along with the submission of the President and aligned with his path for peace.
Isaiah Benjamin
“The executive of Olatutu Oladunni is what I inherited when assuming office and it has to be so until the tenure expires later this year. I will only implore anybody that has interest in this office to get prepared when there will be a vacancy at the end of her tenure.
“Lagos is very strategic to us at the national and we will not fold our arms to allow this crisis to linger on unnecessarily,” the President told his audience who included some members of NEC among whom were the Secretary-General Ambassador Ikenna Okonkwo, National Ex-Officio Mr. Abiodun Ogundipe, National Treasurer Mr. Femi Amusan, Vice President South-West zone Mr. Ayodeji Ogunsakin as well as the South-West zonal Secretary Mr. Charles Ogundiya.
The President assured that the National SWAN would oversee a credible election at the due time, even as he wanted all the elders at the meeting to ensure that the reason for him coming to Lagos was achieved in the ensuing peace that will reign in the chapter.
“It will be a seamless process,” the President assured.
The Lagos SWAN chairman, Ambassador Oladunni, who commended the visit of Mr President and his entourage, used the forum to share her enduring visions for Lagos chapter since she took the mantle of leadership through a credible election in October 2022 supervised by the former National Executive of SWAN.
According to Oladunni, who is also the National Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Association of Protocol Practitioners In Nigeria (APPN), she loves to see a sports writers association in Lagos that would be at par with the likes of other noble associations such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and others.
“We should begin to prioritize the welfare of our members and a situation where young sports reporters are giving the opportunity to rise to the top in their sports journalism career,” she said.
There is no iota of doubt in the credibility of the leadership of Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni in Lagos State, as a competent court of jurisdiction, had in a judgement delivered through a suit filed by erstwhile chairman of the chapter, Mr Debo Oshundun, has ordered that he (Debo Oshundun) should refrain from parading himself as the chairman of Lagos SWAN
Oshundun, whose tenure had elapsed since December 2020, insisted he would contest the election outcome, proceeded to the court suing National SWAN, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), former president, Honour Sirawoo, Olatutu Oladunni, Aron Akerejola and others.
Oshundun’s lawyers among whom were Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) had filed an Originating Summon to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) Court 2, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The case, which lasted for one and half years, was presided over by one of the most senior judges in Nigeria, Hon. Justice M. Esowe.
The verdict was delivered on 23rd January 2023. A judgement read for over two hours with over 65 pages vindicated Olatutu Oladunni and her Executive and SWAN.
For the record, Justice Esowe insisted that Debo Oshundun should henceforth stop parading himself as Lagos SWAN chairman as the court discovered that he has no identity card of the association since 2018 till that time.
