Bauchi SWAN honours Wikki Tourists, Warinje FC for promotion to NPFL, NNL

By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi

Bauchi State Chapter, of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), has presented certificates of recognition to Wikki Tourists Football Club and Warinje Football Club following their promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and the Nigeria National League (NNL), respectively.

The presentation was made by the Chairman of SWAN, Bala Bawaji, in a ceremony held on Friday at the Secretariat of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The Chairman explained that the gesture was in appreciation of the Clubs’ achievements, describing them as a pride to Bauchi State assuring that SWAN would continue to support them by promoting their matches and activities.

National Ex-Officio of SWAN, Usman Abbas, commended the teams for restoring Bauchi’s place as the “Mecca of Sports” through their remarkable feats.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Umar Sa’idu, applauded SWAN for recognizing the hard work and resilience of the two clubs.

In his remarks, Chairman of Wikki Tourists Football Management, Engineer Mohammed Auwal Gotal, thanked SWAN for the recognition and expressed delight that the management had fulfilled the mandate given to them by Governor Bala Mohammed to return the club to the NPFL.

According to him, “Management is determined to make the team a force to reckon with, which is why we have engaged new players expected to bring their wealth of experience to the squad.”

Auwal Gotal also commended the State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for his unwavering support to the team.

On his part, President of Warinje FC, Abubakar Mai Auduga, praised SWAN for the recognition, noting it was the first time the privately funded club was being honoured.

He explained that Warinje FC was established to provide a platform for young players to showcase their talents, adding that the club currently has about eight players featuring in the NPFL.

“This is a pride not just to Warinje but to Bauchi State,” he said.