By Segun Giwa
Otunba Dele Ologbese, the convener of Ondo State Football Stakeholders Forum, on Thursday described the decision by the Ondo State Government to sell off Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens Football Clubs as unpopular.
Ologbese made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that state Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Bamidele Ologun, disclosed on a radio programme that both football clubs would be sold by the end of the season.
The convener of the forum, who commended Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for his achievements in other areas, said the current administration’s score card in the football sector was not too impressive.
Ologbese, who was the pioneer secretary of Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA), said the forum “was tired of dissipating energy in engaging government on its relentless display of naivety in sports management”.
“It would be most appropriate to ask Gov. Akeredolu to tell the whole world why he single-handedly took such a sensitive decision, without inputs from stakeholders and for him to point out any of his remarkable achievements in the sector since he assumed office six years ago.
“This objective assessment is hinged on the fact that he did a little in developing sports infrastructures.
“And most importantly, his inability in building an Olympic-sized stadium in the state like what the immediate past Akwa Ibom State Governor, Goodwill Akpabio, did by constructing an international stadium in Uyo.
“Sunshine Stars had survived relegations every season in the last six years, except last season when they finished 10th on the log in the Premier league,” he said.
Ologbese also said “it was a high level of insensitivity and breaching of social contract in disposing off Ondo State people’s treasures”.
According to him, the decision is at a period when other states in the country were striving to have teams in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).
He also said it was on record that stakeholders had severally engaged Ondo State Government on how Sunshine Stars can be properly repositioned.
“And they could become self-financing without necessarily relying on government’s funding, but unfortunately, government never listened to counselings.
“Through his utterances and actions, the governor is vehement in selling the two clubs outrightly and no Jupiter can stop him from going ahead with the planned action.
“It would be on record that stakeholders had always done the right thing in urging him not to carry out any action that could dent his records or hard earned integrity.
“Despite Mr Governor’s vehemence in pursuing this outrageous actions against the collective interests of Ondo State people, there’s still hope he would have a quick rethink, in not allowing the two cherished clubs go into extinction through his instrumentality,” he said. (NAN)
