By Daily sports on December 21, 2020

As keen followers of Nigerian football especially, you would agree with me that many things have happened this past week and this column yet again would point at them briefly as our in house rule or way of updating our numerous readers, who because of their usual busy schedules may have missed out on some of them.

Sunday Dare, like an emperor was in Lagos last week Friday to announce the commencement of NPFL as if he is now LMC boss, NFF supremo, etc. Power, power is driving Sunday Dare to the heights and I am not afraid how his crush would look like aside people advising.  I have also come to know that he is one of the power hungry officials that learns nothing and forgets nothing.

Dikko, the man that is vested with that power to announce the date when the league season would commence has, like let peace reign, come out to stamp Dare’s December 27, 2020 date and also announced the prizes teams would grab at the end of the current season. They are mouth-watering though but something is wrong with our football or even worse now that Sunday Dare is dragging NFF Presidency with Amaju Pinnick. We are watching, keenly.

Let me be honest with you that shortly after this page went to bed last week, the unexpected news came out or broke from no other state in Nigeria, than Osun where Gboyega Oyetola, the great grand Father Governor of that state holds sway. A state where the absurd reigns freely, from whichever angle you may be looking at it.

What is this absurdity again from this State where it’s immediate past Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, now well dressed Interior Minister, used to dress as a native doctor when he was the Governor and brought so many absurdities to governance in the name of religion?

I digress. The Women Football Club co-named Osun Babes was in the news where the girls protested nonpayment of years’ long salaries and allowances and the injustice reached the climax last week when the girls came out strong telling their plight to whoever cares to listen.

It is disheartening to note that Governor Gboyega Oyetola, a great grand Father could pay mere stipends to those women. We understand that he pays the girls in the region of N35,000 and N70,000 Monthly as salaries. Ironically, the Osun State government does not owe any of the political office holders in the State. Osun Babes FC, like their Civil Service counterparts are those at the receiving end of the bad governance of Oyetola.

The girls cried to high heavens and until the time of putting this article to bed, the girls have not been paid but rather have been threatened with sack if they let the information out to the media. The agonies of the players have worsened and nobody is caring a hoot. They are in pains and only them and their dependents’ are bearing this. Yet again this is man’s inhumanity to man.

A mere 35,000, 70,000 naira  a Month that Gboyega Oyetola’s government could not pay regularly to the girl child his repressive  and debt ridden wicked government cannot pay to them knowing fully the peculiarity of girl child in this volatile Nigeria society towards women and children.

No responsible person, be it government or group would dare venture into the anomaly of owing the girl child years of long salaries and allowances. But Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has broken the road like his predecessor did when he held sway where Civil Servants’ were owed that prompted the strongman of Southwest politics Senator Bola Tinubu, to quickly come to the rescue of the State as bailout fund when the guber election was fast near the corner. Though his party lost the poll but it had to use INEC and security agents to rig Oyetola in, hence he is performing abysmally never looking back because he never rode to power with the peoples’ votes.

He has bared his high handed way of governance to Osun Babes FC. I have said it in several quarters that it is not compulsory that a State must set up a football team when it knows it won’t regularly live up to payments for the up keep of the players and their numerous dependants.

It is sad that Governor Oyetola of Osun State is mindlessly subjecting the Women FC in his state to this avoidable suffering. It is a case of punishing a child and at the same time telling him/her not to cry. That is the situation right now with Osun Babes Women FC. The girls are in pains as well as their dependents’ but Governor Oyetola and his likes are enjoying themselves with their loots.

The not too surprising aspect is that nobody is talking. The Civil Societies, Women Advocate groups, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), even NUJ and sundry have gone to sleep. You can see how Aisha Falode-led Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) body solely responsible and oversees the Women League in the country has long gone to sleep and not raising a voice in defence or support of the pains and agonies the families of these players have been going through for some time now.

What is happening in this country where life has become nothingness? Girl child that we all knew are fragile have been left under this burden by Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State. What will he say prompted him not releasing money to pay the girls years’ long salaries and allowances he and his government have owed the now helpless girls after sweating it out for their living.

 But why has things gone amiss thus far in this country. In Osun State, absurdities hold firm. The State after Olagunsoye Oyelola has been cursed with leadership and it is learnt yet to be denied though that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu hails from that State and unfortunately the State has always been in the news always for wrong reasons.

Let me say again that instead of subjecting these girls to this inhuman nature by holding their salaries, the team should be disbanded forthwith. After all, it is not by force that Osun State, obviously one of the insolvent states in the country should own a football team, be it men or women football clubs. The state has no capacity due to maladministration from the regime of Ogbeni Rauf. The story from Osun State via Osun Babes FC remains sad and unless urgent steps are taken to address the hunger, anguish, state of mind of the girls and equally their officials, it could lead to something else.

Governor Oyetola must be called to order. He has crossed the red line. For him to deal so ruthlessly with the girls that play football in his State calls for urgent concern of civilised Nigerians. Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is an indigene of Osun State must give listening ears to Osun Babes FC plights since now.          

It a shame of the first order that such ugly and sickening news of years of salaries and allowances of girl child is held by a governor, yet he did everything, both legal and illegal to install himself to continue to rubbish and snub the girls’ legitimate right to receive their pay after putting in their best in a trade they signed with their employers.

The sad scenario ongoing in Osu Babes FC must stop. Let sanity return or be restored back without further delay that would lead to the players, officials and their dependents’ have rest of mind so as to concentrate for other things seeking for their attention. The sufferings these players and officials are currently undergoing at the hands of Gboyega Oyetola led Osun State government is sadism personified. This columnist is saddened thus far and my heart wholeheartedly is with the girls and their officials for what is going on there.

We will continue to knock gently on the doors in corridor of power in Osun State believing that Oyetola would, as a great grand Father be touched to order that funds be released to pay the long salaries and allowances of the girls.

A promise, our social media handles are 247 open and would as usual follow up this nonsense and wicked act from Gboyega Oyetola’s Osun State enclave. Keep shooting hard till next week as the struggle continues!!

Source Daily sports

Posted December 21, 2020

Heartbreak For Bafana As Ghana Qualify For Next...

Chelsea Close Academy For A Week After 20...

Olympian donates 100,000 pounds to charity

Spurs Star Kane Set For Long Absence

Ronaldo Not Physically At His Best For Juventus...

Arteta: Pepe Has To Generate Fear In Arsenal’s...