Edo 2020: Why Ekiti State Sports Council Chairman, Ayodele Was Sacked

ABIODUN JIMOH, ABEOKUTA

The genesis behind the sudden sack of the Chairman, Ekiti State Sports Council Dr. Isaac Ayodele, barely five months to his appointment have been unveiled.

Ayodele was appointed as Chairman of the state sports council in June 2020 to pilot the affairs of the council while his shocking removal may have caused a major step backward for Ekiti sports.

The news of his removal was contained through a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government asking Dr Ayodele to step aside as helmsman at the state sports council.

The information gathered by Daily Dispatch revealed that his sack was orchestrated due to the feud between him and the state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Michael Awopetu in regards to the mismanagement of funds meant for the preparation of the state contingent to the 20th National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020 in Benin City, Edo State.

Ayodele was the former Chairman of Ekiti State Football Association with his wealth of experience discovered that the commissioner handling of sports matters as regards athletes’ preparation for the festival was nothing to talk about.

Sources within the sports council informed that over 15 million naira has been released by Governor Kayode Fayemi to prepare athletes to participate at the festival proper.

Following the inauguration of Sports Festival Committees by the sports council chairman, himself, athletes and officials were scheduled to have a meeting in preparation for the festival at the sports complex, but the commissioner assumed they were to discuss a planned protest to embarrass his office for withholding funds meant for the festival, he hereby maliciously informed the state Chief Security Officer.

It was also discovered that sports administrators, coaches, athletes and members of staff of the sports council were shocked when officers and men of Nigerian Police barricaded the entrance to the sports complex and put the council offices at Kayode Oluyemi stadium under lock.

It was revealed that Awopetu ordered the police to block the entrance of the council having got a hint that athletes were planning to protest over his refusal to release funds for their preparation for the sports festival.

Just like every other states in Nigeria, athletes and coaches from Ekiti State have been training for the upcoming festival, and the contingents who had been in close camping before the lockdown occasioned by Covid-19 have not received any training allowances.

Feelers from the state informed that the commissioner who has being in possession of the funds to prepare the athletes for the festival proper, but now bent on frustrating the athletes and officials from attending the festival, alleging that he has embezzled the funds.

Further checks revealed that Awopetu has connived with some top officials of the council to embezzle the funds, just as Adeyemi Ganiyu, the Director of Finance, and General Manager of the Council, Deji Samo were signatories to the council’s accounts, but couldn’t give account of how the funds were spent.

However, with this discovery, the commissioner is scared of consequences that may arise from the peaceful protest by the athletes, hence resorted to military approach to block of the council entrance.

With this development, the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has been called to investigate the matter and bring the erring persons to book, as it would amount to wasted efforts and shame if the state is not represented at the festival.

It could be recalled that within few months in charge, the sports council under Ayodele initiated Private-Private Partnership towards taking sports to next level in Ekiti State. The council organized series of training for coaches and athletes across all local governments in the state despite running the council with limited and personal funds.

Ayodele, a philanthropist and an astute sports administrator is one of the independent Directors of the League Management Company, the organiser of Nigeria professional Football League (NPFL). He is also the proprietor of Diafa Football Academy.