Coaches With Osun Sports Council Demand Review Of N15,000 Salary
SOME coaches with the Osun State Sports Council have appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke and his Deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, who doubles as the Supervising Commissioner for the Ministry of Sports, to save their souls over poor renumeration.
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that most of the coaches are contract staff and were living in abject poverty as their salary could not take care of their basic needs.
The medium gathered that since January 2012, contract coaches were placed on N15,000 salary while contract athletes were earning N12,000, which is the lowest in the South-West.
In Lagos and Oyo states, contract coaches earn N40,000 while contract athletes receive N30,000 as salary, according to findings.
The poor renumeration, according to some of the coaches who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on Tuesday, is affecting the morale and performance of the athletes.
It was learnt that in a sport with three coaches, the sum of N30,000 would be shared among them as remuneration.
Findings also revealed that only two players in a team sport like Volleyball and Tennis are being paid the N12,000.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that out of 30 sports in the state, only football is being given priority by the General Manager.
Findings revealed that most of the sports in the state have no regular coach. Only Volleyball has a substantive coach who is a civil servant.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, one of the contract coaches who does not want his name in print said: “The amount contract coaches and athletes are being paid in Osun State is appalling. For 12 years now, contract coaches are earning N15,000 while an athlete is being paid N12,000.
“This will induce fraud and extortion in to the system. It will also encourage coaches to go to individuals to solicit for money when they are short paid.
“The poor remuneration has also induced player migration from Osun State to oil producing states.
“A coach in Osun United earn N15,000 while the players earn N50,000, how do you expect seriousness in such team. Majority of things in the stadium are being done by the coaches.
“The government has not done much for the Sports Council. The only thing they get from the government is two balls for a year. The focus of the government is only on Osun United and Osun Babes. All other sports are not getting the necessary attention.
“There’s no budget for other sports in the state aside football. And we have about 28 Sports in the state.”
Stakeholders in the sport sector has also called for recruitment of more coaches across board and the need for timely program, seminar and training for coaches at the sports council.
The stakeholders specifically urged the state government to recruit more female coaches to train female athletes so as to avert sexual harassment.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, the Director of Coaching at the Osun Sports Council, Mr Demola Daini, said the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, was committed to addressing the challenges confronting the sport council.
Daini noted that the government has sent contractors to inspect facilities in the stadium, adding that there is enough provision for sports in the 2024 budget.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
