Protest rocks Ondo stadium over appointment of acting general manager

Sporting activities at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure were disrupted on Tuesday as sports contingents protested the appointment of Mrs Evelyn Lebi as Acting General Manager of the Ondo State Sports Council.

The protesters, made up of sports union members and leaders, coaches and athletes, said the appointment could negatively affect the future of sports administration in the state.

The Nation reports that Mrs Lebi was earlier appointed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as a part-time member of the board of the Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA), representing the Ministry of Sports, on June 23, 2024, before her subsequent elevation to Acting General Manager of the State Sports Council.

Speaking to journalists on behalf of the protesters, the Coordinating Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Fisayo Bello, said the state of sports in Ondo was far from satisfactory and required a competent technocrat to revitalise the sector.

Bello argued that the Sports Council needed strong and experienced leadership to overcome its current challenges and therefore called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to reconsider the appointment of Mrs Lebi to the position.

“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 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,” he lamented. 

Chairman of the Ondo State Professional Coaches Association, Joshua Ogunbiyi, who also spoke, said stakeholders had previously expressed reservations about Mrs Lebi’s suitability.

Mr Ogunbiyi added 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 that will come and revive sport development.

“A person like Lebi has contested for this position for over three times. And we have made government to realise that this woman is not competent. This woman is not a good woman.

“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,” he said.

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Similarly, Mr 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.

When contacted, Mrs Lebi declined comments over calls for her sack from the position. 

But reacting to the protest, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Henry Omoyofunmi, said the protest was unnecessary. 

Mrs Omoyofunmi said Mrs 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 expressed confidence that the appointment would strengthen, rather than hinder, sports development in the state.