The Nigeria Olympics Committee says no fewer than 731 Nigerian journalists applied for accreditation to cover the forthcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games holding in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Secretary General, NOC, Olabanji Oladapo, made the disclosure during a courtesy visit by the Lagos Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Lagos SWAN) on Tuesday.
“No fewer than 731 Nigerian journalists applied for accreditation, the highest we have ever seen.
“A large number were declined, but it took the intervention of NOC and the Commonwealth Games Federation to accredit the number that was eventually allowed to cover the games.
” I will appeal to the journalists covering the games to project the image of the country positively during the games
” There is a need for confirmation of any information before writing, please contact the NOC.
“I also want to urge those of you travelling to adhere to the rules and regulations put in place by the organizers.
” We don’t want to see an incident of deportation of any of our journalists due to lack of adherence to rules,” he said.
Oladapo expressed optimism that the cordial relationship between the NOC and Lagos SWAN leadership would continue to grow.
Responding, Debo Oshundun, Chairman, Lagos SWAN, said the visit was to thank Oladapo for his technical support for members interested in traveling to Birmingham for the games.
Oshundun assured the NOC that SWAN members, on getting to Birmingham, would put Nigeria first in its reportage, while focusing on the exploits of the athletes.
He said: “We are really grateful for the assistance rendered to our members during their accreditation, approval, and also visa issuance.
“We will remember this for a very long time because many of our interested members (young and old) got visas to cover one of the most prestigious multi-sports events on earth.
“Our members are once again determined to put Nigeria first. The athletes are our top priorities.
“We want to tell their stories the best way we can and project their activities to the world and primarily to Nigerians back home.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2022 Commonwealth Games would hold from July 28 to Aug. 8.