Morocco Trip Fallout: Kwara SWAN Told to Ignore ‘Incendiary’ Post as Questions Trail Sports Commission Boss

Morocco Trip Fallout: Kwara SWAN Told to Ignore ‘Incendiary’ Post as Questions Trail Sports Commission Boss

Stakeholders in Kwara State’s sports community have urged members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Kwara chapter, to disregard a viral social media article believed to have originated from within the Kwara State Sports Commission (KWSC), describing it as provocative, distracting and damaging to the fragile relationship between journalists and sports administrators in the state.

The article, which accused the leadership of Kwara SWAN of compromise, biased reporting and unprofessional conduct, was actively circulated by a staff member of the commission, a development that reportedly raised concerns in Government House, Ilorin, over the incendiary tone and potential political implications of the publication.

The controversy has further exposed the long-running uneasy relationship between sports journalists and the Executive Chairman of the Sports Commission, Coach Bola Mogaji. 

While Mogaji has repeatedly accused journalists of denying him adequate media exposure and recognition, reporters counter that the former squash legend maintains an imperious relationship with the press, allegedly leveraging his closeness to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to browbeat journalists, particularly those employed in state-owned media organisations.

Speaking separately on the matter, veteran sports journalist, administrator and Olympian, Hameed Adio, alongside High Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka, the Nwachigoziri 1 and Director of Football at Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC, dismissed the viral post as needless ranting that should not be dignified with a response.

Adio stressed that SWAN must rise above provocation, noting that the ethics of responsible journalism demand restraint and focus. 

He urged the association to continue providing informed and factual coverage of the state government’s sports development drive, pointing to ongoing investments in infrastructure, facilities and human capacity development under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. 

“Kwara SWAN has remained professional in promoting sports development in the state under the current administration,” he said.

Chief Chukwuemeka, on his part, charged the association to remain guided strictly by its constitution, warning that engaging inflammatory and unfounded publications would only weaken its unity and credibility.

Findings revealed that the controversial post was shared by a KWSC staff member and former aide to the commission boss, who recently returned with Mogaji from Morocco on a state government–sponsored trip. 

The article, signed by “a concerned stakeholder,” accused Ismail Ayodeji, Chairman of SWAN, Kwara, of orchestrating an alleged media blackout of Mogaji during the Morocco trip.

The allegation triggered outrage among journalists in Kwara and within the national leadership of SWAN, who pointed out that Ayodeji was in Morocco on a privately funded assignment to cover the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), independent of any state sponsorship. Reports indicate that Ayodeji filed stories to his media organisation, while several state-owned outlets also benefited from his AFCON updates.

Further checks suggested that the perceived media blackout around the commission boss may have been largely self-inflicted. 

Unlike other Nigerian officials who reportedly used the Morocco trip to project state and national sports initiatives through media engagements and strategic networking, Mogaji was said to have spent considerable time largely secluded in his hotel, sipping hot Arabian tea and taking personal selfies, including with Moroccan ladies, rather than engaging the press.

Compounding the issue, Mogaji reportedly travelled without his designated media officer, Saheed Abdullahi, seconded from the Ministry of Communications to manage the commission’s public image. 

Instead, he opted to travel with two non-media officers—one of whom later circulated the social media post that has now plunged the commission into controversy.