The Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), Olushola Ogunnowo, the proprietor of Water FC Abuja, Makanjuola Nureni and the CEO, Kayrom Lee group of companies, Ambassador Romoke Ayinde have relished the awards bestowed on them by the national body of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
The trio were part of the dignitaries that converged at the VIP Lounge package A of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Friday as part of activities marking SWAN’s 60th anniversary.
Ogunnowo, who credited his success to constructive criticism from journalists, admitted that the feedback helped shape his leadership approach and redirect his decisions, describing the success as a collective effort of his team (NLO) and the media.
He said, “They (journalists) might not give me direct instructions, but their reports and opinions always pointed me in the right direction and that has brought me great results.”
Nureni received the honour for his decades-long commitment to nurturing young football talents and supporting grassroots sports initiatives nationwide.
The Water FC boss commended SWAN for its role in celebrating individuals and organisations contributing to the growth of Nigerian sports, calling on the Association to sustain its commitment to excellence and advocacy. He was conferred with the distinguished service award in recognition of his outstanding support to SWAN and contributions to sports development in Nigeria.
For Ambassador Ayinde, who is also the pioneer chairperson of Netball in Oyo State, she said SWAN has been a partner-in-progress and has been promoting the activities of her Academy as she promised to continue to strive more in the area of sports development.
“I’m glad to be here, feel so honoured, feel so humbled to receive this award. It has been a long journey with SWAN from the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan (former Liberty Stadium). It has always been a thing of joy for me to develop sports at the grassroots, which I’ve been doing in the past 15 years with the National Sports Commission (formerly Ministry of Sports).
“I’ve gained a lot from SWAN in terms of promoting my Academy and other things that have to do with sports. SWAN has always been there for me. I feel so honoured with this award. This is great, I appreciate the organisers for the recognition, and I will continue to strive more in the area of sports development,” Ayinde told Sporting Tribune.
The event brought together prominent figures from the media, sports administration and government sectors who were honoured in different categories for their contribution to the advancement of sports and sports journalism in Nigeria.
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