Yemi Lawal’s Commitment To Osun Sports Sector And The Misinformation

It is so disheartening to see the perturbation staged with the protest hoisted by some misinformed staffs of Osun State Sports Council earlier today.

This, obviously borne of poisonous drive of the innocently involved members by certain selfishly greedy and hypocritical ones among them, could be described as the highest level of disappointment, ignorance, desperation and unwarranted bitterness that Hon. Yemi Lawal could ever expect from the major stakeholders of the council from whom much of the genesis of the miseries battling the council should be enquired.

It was borne on their placards as part of their allegations that their two months salaries have been deliberately withheld. That they are being left to suffer from lack of necessary equipments and care from the ministry. And as punishment for this callous deeds, Yemi Lawal must go. But, only if they could state their part of insincerity and cupidity as well, it would have been a welcomed show of transparency and uprightness and not just the show of malice towards Yemi Lawal that they displayed.

The genesis of the parochial agitations aired in the course of the protests today could be well attributed to the insubordination that the council has been showing directly to the Hon. Commissioner for Youth and Sports and indirectly to His Excellency, Governor Gboyega Oyetola himself whose orders and instructions he’s only following.

Having discovered series of unbefitting irregularities such as inappropriate membership, financial unaccountability, lack of adequate documentations, hierarchical disorder among other administrative errors that would never cease to appear as barricades against the significantly drastic development that our critically devastated Sport Sector craves, the need for restructuring and call to order in the system was sensed through the Commissioner to the Governor.

In the course of getting this done without procrastinations, a directive was given by His Excellency through the Commissioner that there should be a proper data capturing of the members of the Sport Council with immediate effect. The major target was to regain the lost credibilities that should have been the norms right from time and hence set a new dawn for the constructive upgrading of Sports in Osun State.

It was also stated in clear terms that the payment of salaries should be put on a hold while the capturing is being done and this was supposed to be expected in any form of such restructuring. Not that the salaries would not be paid in the long run, but would only be paid to the rightful members after necessary scrutiny has been done on the system. But out of insubordination and jumping of protocols, they decided to turn deaf ears to this directive by refusing to get captured and in return, as ordered by the Governor, the Ministry put the payment of salaries on a hold until they’re ready to be captured. This is the major source of what could be called cacophony rather than protest.

Consequently, as the commissioner received a list of ready to be captured staffs of the Sports Council at the House of Assembly today, it was surprising that the letter was not written with date and appropriate reference and had to be returned to the Sports Council for adequate correction. This is what should have been done long before now in a very amicable manner following due process and wouldn’t have caused such a long delay of salary disbursement. So, it is not a gainsaying that they’re the cause of the non-payment of their entitlements. More like inflicting the sufferings on themselves.

The young and visionary commissioner evidently stated with dates on the floor of the House of Assembly how monies have been released for the Sports Council over the last one year and how equipments have been procured for them as against their allegations that they have been left to their fate. He stated further that they’re only comfortable to request for fund but always uncomfortable to answer questions on how those funds were utilized.

It should be once again reiterated that Hon. Yemi Lawal stands to gain nothing from tormenting the lives involved in the Sport sector. He has only been striving to sieve out every predative and retrogressive inclinations involved in the system. But it is extremely saddening to realize that the preys are not only ignorantly surrendering, but also campaigning for the reinforcement of the predators.

And it should also be noted that this will not been seen as deterrence by Hon. Yemi Lawal, as driving necessary changes in all sectors overseen by him is a Clarion Call that he has vowed to obey no matter what and shall never desist from doing so.

***Media Office, Commissioner For Youths and Sports,
Osun State.