… Pledges swift restructuring, overhaul, solicits stakeholders’ support

… Vows to prioritise welfare of athletes, coaches

The newly appointed Chairman of the Ondo State Sports Council, Oladimeji Abimbola, has disclosed an urgent need to restructure the council and revive the state’s declining sporting activities.

While emphasising that there is no room for complacency in the task ahead, the chairman emphasised that restructuring the council would establish a clear operational direction while enabling the new board to identify and address the systemic factors responsible for the decline of sports development in the state over the years.

Abimbola stated this during the official resumption of office, where he was received by members of the council’s new board, including Babatunde Martins and Ibitoye Matthew Abiodun.

The new chairman appointment comes after a decade-long leadership gap at the helm of the state’s sports governing body.

Abimbola expressed appreciation to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for entrusting him with the leadership of the council and pledged to align his administration with the Ondo State Government’s agenda.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and swing into action immediately because the council needs our quick response. Our days have started counting,” Abimbola stated.

The chairman identified the welfare of athletes, coaches, and other sports officials, alongside the urgent rehabilitation of dilapidated sports facilities, as the top priorities of the new administration.

He further disclosed that the council’s area offices, which serve as the closest link to grassroots sports development, would be fully activated through the deployment of competent coaches and other technical personnel.

“Athletes, coaches and other officials’ welfare, as well as the rehabilitation of our facilities, will be our top priority. Our area offices, which are closest to the grassroots, will be fully functional, with the deployment of competent coaches and other staff,” Abimbola said.

However, the chairman stressed that achieving the administration’s objectives would require the collective commitment and cooperation of the council’s entire workforce and other critical stakeholders across the state’s sports ecosystem.

“But for us to make this work as envisaged, I am soliciting the cooperation of all staff, from management to the lowest cadre. We are going to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to achieve the set goal. The task ahead is not about me and other board members but about all the sports-loving people of the state.”

In his part, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Amidu Takuro, pledged his support for the new chairman and expressed confidence in his capacity to transform the council.

Takuro noted that Abimbola’s experience, coupled with the cooperation of the council’s staff, could herald a turnaround in the state’s sports sector.

Also speaking, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of OSRC Media Group, Mr Kenneth Stevenson-Odusola, revealed that Aiyedatiwa had adequately prepared Abimbola for the assignment, noting that the new chairman had recently undergone advanced sports management training in Germany.

Stevenson-Odusola harped on the challenges that had impeded sports development in Ondo State over the years but expressed optimism that Abimbola and his team would deploy their wealth of experience to reposition the sector.

The Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Taiwo Adegoroye, also expressed confidence in Abimbola’s track record, describing his appointment as a potential new dawn for sports development in the state.

Similarly, the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Comrade Ademola Odudu, called on Sports Council staff to extend their maximum support to the new chairman to enable him to effectively implement his reform agenda.

The Chairman of the Ondo State Football Association, Otunba Dele Ajayi, offered counsel to the new chairman, advising him to avoid taking decisions on impulse and instead gather and thoroughly assess relevant information before acting.

Earlier, the general manager of the Ondo State Sports Council, Mrs Evelyn Lebi, had described Abimbola’s appointment as “a round peg in a round hole.”

Lebi assured the new chairman of the full cooperation and support of the council’s staff, expressing confidence that his experience and commitment would help reposition the organisation and restore Ondo State’s status as a leading force in sports development.