Ekiti News reports that Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has granted pardon to four officials of the State Sports Council who were suspended over allegations of mismanagement of funds and poor kitting of state athletes during the 7th National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta, in September 2023.
Dr. Olusola Osetoba, the Technical Advisor to the governor on Sports Development, made this announcement while addressing members of the Ekiti chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Ado-Ekiti.
She stated that the four officials, including the General Manager, Adekunle Adeyemi, Isaac Elegbeleye, Isiaka Oluyemi, and Olusola Ibitoye, have been reassigned to the ministry. The Technical Advisor also stated that new officials would be appointed to fill the vacant positions in the sports council in due course.
The Technical Advisor said that the government has banned training and other unauthorised activities on the pitch of Oluyemi Kayode stadium in Ado- Ekiti, adding that the stadium would soon be refurbished.
Osetoba said the government has concluded an arrangement to build a sports hall at the Ekiti Kete Pavilion, which would provide facilities for several sporting events. She said that the government would soon carry out a total restructuring of the two state-owned football clubs, Ekiti United and Ekiti Queens.
She said there were lapses in the administrative setup of the two clubs and a new board would be constituted to revive the good performance of the clubs. She thanked members of SWAN for their support when she was chairman of the Sports Council, saying she would need similar support in her new task.
Osetoba appealed to the sports writers to give full backing to the administration of Governor Oyebanji in his task to take sports to greater heights in the state.
NAN