From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan
The Oyo State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) expresses profound concern over significant errors in the media accreditation process for the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) Matchday 1 fixture against Bayelsa United, held on August 24, 2025, at Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
These issues disrupted the ability of legitimate media personnel to effectively cover the opening match of the 2025/26 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
The management of the Shooting Stars Sports Club started the league on a bad note,leaving the sports journalists highly embarrassed.
A statement issued by Oyo State SWAN Chairman Otunba Ayomiku Ajibola regretted that the 3sc reneged on their earlier agreement to coordinate a seamless accreditation of members.
“Despite a prior agreement with 3SC management, in which Oyo SWAN was entrusted to handle the accreditation process seamlessly to ensure professionalism and accountability, the accreditation list contained critical errors that undermined this commitment”,he complained.
Specifically:
- Erroneous allocation of non-affiliated individuals: There were cases of individuals not affiliated with certain organizations, and their names were included in the accreditation slots of certain media houses, hence denying bona-fide members.
- Omission of Oyo SWAN Chairman and Members: The Oyo SWAN Chairman, a staff member of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), along with several other registered members, was inexplicably excluded from the accredited journalists’ list for the match who had hitherto applied for accreditation. This omission prevented key media personnel from fulfilling their professional responsibilities, contrary to the agreed-upon process.
- Lack of Communication with 3SC Media Team: Repeated attempts by Oyo SWAN and affected media houses to contact the 3SC media lead for clarification and resolution were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered, leaving no immediate avenue to address these discrepancies.
Continuing,”Oyo SWAN is disappointed that these lapses occurred despite the clear understanding that our association would oversee a seamless and professional accreditation process for 3SC’s matches. While there were last-minute efforts to remedy some of the highlighted issues, we believed that this might undermine the club’s commitment to enhancing professionalism and media access for the 2025/26 NPFL season.
As a strategic partner in progress for 3SC, Oyo SWAN remains steadfast in its dedication to promoting the club’s success through robust and professional media coverage.
SWAN urged the 3SC management to address these issues promptly to strengthen our collaborative efforts. The sports body specifically, we caled for:
– Full implementation of the agreed-upon accreditation process, managed by Oyo SWAN, for all future matches to prevent recurrence.
– Designation of a reliable point of contact within the 3SC media team to address urgent concerns promptly.
Oyo SWAN reaffirms its role as a strategic partner in progress for 3SC, committed to fostering a professional and mutually beneficial relationship to elevate the club’s visibility and success in the NPFL
The statement called upon the management to act swiftly to resolve these issues and ensure seamless accreditation for upcoming fixtures, starting with the next home match as programmed by the NPFL.
Meanwhile,the unfortunate development has raised doubt about the ability of the new 3sc management to ensure a better relationship with the sports writer,considered a critical partner in its objectives of reaching greater heights.
