The Ondo State Football Stakeholders Group has faulted the current management committee of the Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA).
Convener of the group, Otunba Dele Ologbese, urged the State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to replace the management committee with a full-fledged board that guarantees fair representations across the state.
The pioneer Secretary of the agency, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure, the state capital, called on the Governor to adhere strictly to the law establishing the agency.
“We want our Governor to abide by the rule of law which he swore to protect by constituting a board in line with the existing laws of the agency. Apart from the fact that the current management committee is imbalanced, it is alien to the agency,” he said.
“As a matter of utmost urgency, we want the Governor to address the lopsided compositions of the ODSFA management committee by constituting a full-fledged board that reflects equitable representations of core professionals from all three senatorial districts of the state, including the Ministry of Sports.”
Ologbese stressed that the current arrangement, where all members of the management's committee were drawn only from the Central Senatorial District, is unacceptable, which violates fundamental principles of equity, fair play, justice, and state's character.
“Our belief is that Mr Governor, who is an ardent democrat, must have been misguided in appointing all the members from one senatorial district, as this violates the agency’s operational laws,” he added.
Ologbese, however, commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for reversing the controversial appointment of a non-career officer as General Manager of the ODSFA.
Describing the Governor as “a listening leader who is not too proud to correct an error,” Ologbese praised the decision to re-assign Mr. Divine Ogbonaya from the position of General Manager, exclusively reserved for civil servants, to the Chairman of the agency’s management committee, calling it a right step in the right direction.
Ologbese, who had been a vocal critic of Ogbonaya’s initial appointment as General Manager said the reversal vindicated his earlier stance that the appointment was an affront on Article 3, Section 1(C) of the Ondo State laws establishing the agency .
“While the football stakeholders group is not contesting the constitutional power of Mr Governor to appoint whoever he likes to oversee the agency’s affairs, we cannot sit back and watch illegality prevail in the football environments without raising our voices against it,” he said.
He noted that the Governor’s decision to reverse the appointment demonstrated his strong commitment to upholding the rule of law, constitutionality, and his willingness to listen to stakeholders’ concerns.
On the state of sports infrastructures in Ondo State, Ologbese drew attention to the ongoing renovations of the Ondo State Sports Complex, urging the government to ensure its speedy completion.
“Mr Governor has promised at different times to complete the renovations of the Ondo State Sports Complex, but as it stands, there is nothing suggesting that the facility will be ready before the Nigeria National League (NNL) kicks off on November 8 this year.
It would not be ideal for Sunshine Stars FC to begin its NNL campaign outside the state, as it did last season, which contributed largely to its relegation to the lower league,” he warned.
He lamented the general decline of sports in the state, citing a lack of modern facilities and inadequate welfare packages for the athletes as root causes .
“From athletics to weightlifting, boxing, handball, volleyball, tennis and other disciplines, sports in Ondo State are suffering due to neglect .
Apart from football, Mr. Governor must invest heavily in other sports, which the state is renowned for. Budding talents at the grassroots can only be properly harnessed if infrastructures at those levels are properly developed.
The three stadia in Ondo, Ikare-Akoko and Okitipupa, which are currently dilapidated, should be given urgent attention to revitalise sports generally in the state.”
He further urged the Governor to direct interventionist agencies to support sports development.
“Just as Mr Governor has directed the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) to intervene in the completions of hostels facilities at Adekunle Ajasin University and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, he should also mandate the agency to complete the Akure Township Stadium and rehabilitate the Ondo, Ikare-Akoko and Okitipupa stadia as a matter of urgency .
"If these facilities are given face-lift, his name will be written in gold in the annals of Ondo State’s history,” he concluded.
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