Controversies Over Appointment Of Female Corps Member As Osun Babes Media Officer

 

By Solomon Odeniyi

The purported appointment of a female corps member, Flora Uyoh, by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state, Mr. Yemi Lawal as the Media Officer of Osun Babes has been causing a stir in the Osun Sports’ Council.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that Uyoh’s appointment came at a time the dust was yet to settle on the rejection of a known sports writer, Seun Omolola by the commissioner.

Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that Omolola was suggested by the management of Osun Babes after Olayinka Olawole, the former media officer of the team left to pick up a job with the Nigerian Women Football Premier League.

Sources said that the commissioner kicked against Omolola’s appointment and refused to hand him an appointment letter because he had an axe to grind with him.

They added that the commissioner, having searched unsuccessfully for Omolola’s replacement, sent Uyoh to the management of the team. 

Speaking on behalf of the management, the Marketing Manager, Gbenga Ololade said they were yet to be communicated on Uyoh’s appointment and they have never met her.

He said, “The commissioner is yet to communicate her appointment to us. There is no official letter from him that he has employed a Media Officer for us, which is our statutory right and we have never met the girl neither has she followed us to any assignment.”

In his reaction, Omolola said the commissioner rejected his name because he always ‘speaks the truth to issues’ and to the commissioner.

He said: “I have never been a worker with the Ministry of Sports nor the government. Media officers don’t apply to get the job, the management of the team looks inward and appoints anyone they feel could do the job. That is the statutory role of any football club in the world. 

“Even the NFF appointed media officers for Super Eagles and Falcons, nobody wrote an application, Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youths and Sports Development  never intervened in the appointment. It was as a result of this they submitted my name to the commissioner but because I am always telling him the truth; that made him to reject me.”

However, Lawal, the commissioner said Uyoh was just a corps member posted to the team based on her course of study.

He said: “She studied Information Management and was posted to serve there and she is expected to work with the media department based on that. Let them say whatever they want to. 

“On Omolola, I don’t know who Omolola is. He is not a staff of the ministry and he is not on my payroll. He can criticise but when you begin to speak like an official of government that is impersonation. He should be cautioned. “

Efforts to get the side of Uyoh proved abortive, as her line was switched off as at the time of filing this report.