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Sports unions and athletes on Tuesday, have protested over the appointment of Evelyn Lebi as the acting General Manager of the Ondo State Sports Council.
The protesters, drawn from sports unions, coaches and athletes, during the protest at the Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure, said the development raised concerns about the future of sports administration in the state, urging the government to reconsider the choice.
Fisayo Bello, the Coordinating Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), while addressing journalists, said the sector needed strong leadership to overcome its present challenges.
According to him, sports in Ondo State required “a competent technocrat with passion and vision” to restore its past glory.
“We need someone with passion for sports who can take us back to our glorious days, not backwards. She contested four years ago; we said no then, and we are saying no now.
“She contested four years ago, we said no and we are saying no now, we want a better person, we want a technocrat that can take us back to our glorious day, not backwards,” Bello said
Osifo Moses, Vice Chairman of AUPCTRE in the state and a boxing coach, said the council deserved a reputable and committed administrator who would prioritise athletes’ welfare and development.
Joshua Ogunbiyi, Chairman of the Ondo State Professional Coaches Association, said the protest was not directed at Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, whom he described as supportive of sports, but at the appointment itself.
Ogunbiyi noted that stakeholders had previously expressed reservations about Lebi’s suitability, adding that the sector needed fresh energy and effective leadership to move forward.
“The stage at which we are now, sport is not moving forward. We want somebody, a vibrant and competent general manager, this time around. Somebody who will come and revive sports development.
“A person like Lebi has contested for this position three times. And we have made the government realise that this woman is not competent. This woman is not good.
“She served here about 12, 13 years ago before she left, and if we continue to say to the world all the atrocities this woman has committed, where she previously served, in fact, will not leave this place.
“And that is why we believe that if government want to bring anybody, we are not against the governor to bring whoever he feels can come here and revive sport.But as far as we are concerned, Lebi is not one of them.
“We want someone vibrant and competent who can revive sports development in the state,” he said.
Similarly, Idowu Afun, General Captain of Ondo State Athletes, appealed to the state government to appoint a leader who would inspire confidence among athletes and stakeholders.
Henry Omoyofunmi, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, in his reaction dismissed the protest, describing it as unnecessary.
Omoyofunmi said Lebi was a qualified professional with over 15 years’ experience at the Sports Council and was currently serving as Director of Sports in the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He explained that her appointment followed due process after the expiration of the tenure of the former general manager, adding that the Head of Service had posted her to the council in line with civil service procedures.
The commissioner, however, expressed confidence that the appointment would strengthen, rather than hinder, sports development in the state.
