A veteran sportswriter and a founding father of Rivers SWAN, Clinton Thompson has tasked the leadership of Rivers State SWAN to honour veteran sportswriters that made things happen to keep sports writing business enterprising in the state.
CT as he is popularly called by his admirers and colleagues, said as a chairman of SWAN then he has the synergy between the national SWAN and the state SWAN where both bodies exist as one happy family, but according to him, he does not know what is happening between some of the old sportswriter and the present leadership of Rivers State SWAN.
He therefore urged the present leadership of Rivers SWAN to re-unite SWAN as a family in the state by honouring past leaders and carry them along to protect and project SWAN rich and noble name in the sports writing business.
He queried “How many sportswriter can tell the history of Rivers SWAN and it founding fathers, which include Fidelis Iyebote, Victor Inengisa Somiari, Clinton Thompson, Mazi Njoku (Late anyway) and Donald Mike-Jaja.
Tasking the present leadership of Rivers SWAN to remember these peoples and honour them for their vibrate distinguished contributions to keep the growth of sports and sports writing in the state and nation.
Clinton Thompson was a two time chairman of Rivers SWAN and national vice chairman of Nigeria, during this period, he made Rivers SWAN the envy of other state SWAN.
He created CAIRA (Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Rivers and Abia) amalgamation of SWAN. He has been honoured by the then government of Col. Dauda Musa Komo of old Rivers State as the best influence in sports commentary education.
For his vibrancy, he created lots of programmes to keep SWAN going as a body and made the best of it. He created a sports Hall of fame in Rivers State, the first of its kind in Nigeria and superintended two inductions into the Hall of fame.
As a stalwart of sportswriting and a beneficiary of numerous professional training abroad, he had used his wealth of experience to better the lot of Rivers SWAN in initiating lots of juicy programmes when he was in office as chairman Rivers State SWAN.
The former general manager of Radio Bayelsa during his days as chairman of SWAN Rivers State, initiated Omosule cup competition for media men, SWAN annual award, welfare package and hall of fame among others.
He also called on the leadership of Rivers SWAN to visit patrons of the SWAN that made things happened during his days in office. The likes of Chief O.K Isokariari, Chief Lawrence Ayo, Chief Lawrence Omohuyi Izzi, Mrs. Gina Yeseibo, Nze Tony Nwanya, Bob Ihekona and Jimmy Coker among others.
The experienced veteran sportswriter advised the leadership of Rivers SWAN to create and maintain a synergy of having the multinationals such as SHELL, Elf, Agip and Chevron among others who threw their weight behind his leadership hence he did not go cap in hand begging for money to carry out his programmes as these multinationals always sponsored his created programmes.
CT will be 62 on 12th of February, retired from active service but not tired is very much available for sports administrative works as he is now a big time media consultant open to the public. ###
