Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has requested the state chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) to help promote Sunshine Stars FC and other sports to get sponsors.
Akeredolu made the request when officials of the association came to decorate him as state ‘SWAN Patron’ on Wednesday in Akure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that during its 2020 Week-long celebration, Ondo State SWAN had conferred on the governor and his wife, Betty, patron and matron respectively.
The governor, who said there was not enough money in the state to successfully sponsor the team by the government alone, said he wanted the team to be well funded.
Akeredolu said he had urged the management of the team to also source for revenue by approaching corporate bodies doing businesses in the state, for sponsorship.
The governor also used the opportunity to fulfil his earlier promise to the association by donating a bus to the state chapter of SWAN.
“We want our club to be well funded.
“It is not easy to fund; there is no money and there is nothing anybody can do about it.
“Help us promote the clubs,’’ the governor told SWAN.
According to him, all teams in the state are doing well, adding “let’s see if we can have sponsorships and endorsements for the teams’’.
Akeredolu thanked the association for recognising the giant strides of the state’s athletes and government in the development of sports.
Earlier, Wahab Bankole, state Chairman of SWAN, expressed appreciation to the governor for hosting the association twice within a calendar year, which had never happened before.
Bankole also thanked the governor for giving attention to sports development in the state.
He said that the association was better equipped to tell the success story of sporting activities in the state.
