Swimming Federation lay siege for sponsors

Wary of being looked upon like fishes out of waters,the administrative arm of the Nigeria Swimming Federation (NSF) have decided to go all out, armed with their nets, on sponsors-fishing expeditions. This decision we gathered, is sequel to the Sports Minister's clarion call on National Sports Associations to endeavour to fend for themselves, ''as government cannot go it alone.''

And to demonstrate this stance, we were told that Associations' heads, whose inuaguration ceremonies were held in Abuja earlier this month, were made to pay both their ways and boarding expenses; an action which was a drastic diversion from the usual practice of the Sports Ministry having to bear such financial brunts.

That was the first salvo shot by the Minister and the Swimming Federation would not want to be caught on the river bank napping when the tides must have gone low.

"We know that government cannot go it all alone and as if to demonstrate this, everybody who went for the inuaguration, had to bear their respective financial burdens. We have from time, been able to do the best we could in terms of private sponsorship of our events. So, it was not a new message, but it looks like things could get worse this time around," they said.

It is against this background therefore, that "we in the Swimming Federation, have decided to go on massive sponsorship drives for both local and international events. One way we have decided to carry out this opperation, is to go out and woo personalities, private investors and co-opt some of them if possible, into the board of the Swimming Federation,'' our source unveiled.

The Nigerian swimming body could be said to have been the pet of Rivers State Governor, Chief Peter Odili, to whose apron strings the federation had tied most of its major events in the past dispensation. And now that the Governor did not in any form, indicate his intention to remain on the board for a second term, the administrators had to quickly put on their swimsuits for precision dives for sponsors.