Sports writers in Rivers State for sometime have been betrayed by the Rivers State Sports Ministry headed by Hon. Fred Igwe, just recently to be precise, last week a 5 day football clinic was hosted by the Sports Ministry sponsored by Milo drink package by the former world cup hero with the Super Eagles, Peter Rufai, aka Dodo Mayana at Sharks Stadium, ridiculously no sports journalist from Rivers State (Port Harcourt was invited to cover the 5days football clinic with Peter Rufai rather journalists from Lagos were invited to cover the 5days football clinic.
They were lodged in hotel their flight tickets were also taken care of by Milo. This is a programme the Rivers State sports Ministry is in partnership with.
The Newswriter Sports also know that sports business is the absolute work of the media without the media there is no sports programme. The sports ministry did not also do well by asking the owners of the programme that where are Rivers sports journalists in your plan? Because the Lagos journalists that they paid their hotel accommodation, flight ticket, are not doing another business than reporting the programme, same as the Port Harcourt sports journalists would have reported. Moreso, when the event is being hosted in Port Harcourt.
It is a pity that the Rivers State Sports Ministry under Hon. Fred Igwe do not recognized or have no regard for Port Harcourt sports journalists.
This is not the first time this type of treatment has been meted out to Port Harcourt sports journalists. A situation one may liken to the saying that “Dog eats Dog”.
This only means that Port Harcourt sports journalists are inferior to Lagos journalists. It is on record that Barido Sika of Radio Rivers 99.1 FM won the best NUJ sports journalist award in 2012, Barido Sika is a sports journalist with Radio Rivers. The competition is a nationwide competition yet the Rivers State Sports Ministry do not recognized it own. Even as sports journalists from electronic media, radio, television and prints are doing extremely well in national scene. ###
