Uneasy Calm In Ibadan Over Bribery Scandal

There has been an unusual calmness noticed in the football folks in Ibadan since the news of bribery scandal rocking the State’s own team, 3SC and the Chairman of Nigeria football Federations (NFF)’s Organisation and Disciplinary O & D committee Leye Adepoju who doubles as the Football Association boss of the state as people evading comment on the issue.

The former commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state Dapo Lam-Adesina who some people are saying is likely to behind the unveiling of the scam is not responding to his mobile when called for comment on the issue while Adepoju who at the center of the storm was also not accessible either physically or through phone.

The management of 3SC is also yet to come out with a categorical statement to newsmen who had been bombarding their Akinola Maja close, Jericho Ibadan office to get their side of the story.

The rumour making round on Monday was that the legal practitioner, Adepoju has resigned his appointment, both at NFF and state level, but efforts made to confirm the report were not fruitful.

An elderly soccer follower in the state who pleaded for anonymity traced the whole calamity to the cold war exciting between the former commissioner and the Oyo FA boss which some elders in the state had tried to settle for the duo.

It would be recalled that the duo engaged each other in a bitter scuffle during the final of this year’s state FA Cup final, when the youthful commissioner ordered closure of the state owned Lekan Salami Sports Complex, preventing Oyo FA from using the venue it slated for the cup final.

It took the intervention of some top Government functionaries and club Chairmen before the Commissioner changed his mind.

The development that made the match to commence much later than the scheduled with all gates thrown open on the order of the Commissioner as against the plan of the FA who had advertised gate-fees prizes for the different categories of stands.

The peace meeting convened to broker truce had in attendance the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Alhaji Akin Olajide, Chairman Crown FC, Alhaji Noah Bello, Crown Afijio FC, Elder Ogundiran Dijo and some other personalities where the commissioner and the Oyo FA Chairman engaged themselves in words of words using abusive language on each other.

Further investigations however, revealed that the cold war between the two stated precisely a year ago during the 2012 FA Cup final, when theorganizer (Oyo FA) called the Deputy Speaker of the State house of Assembly, Hon. Babatunde Olaniyan to take the kick-off for commencement of the final, the development that seemed not pleasing to the Commissioner who was also at the stadium.

“Since then the Commissioner has been showing apathy to all our programmes.

“We have written several letters to him seeking his assistance in developing the game in the state but, he always turned it into the dust bin”, said a member of the Oyo FA who crafted for anonymity.

Akanbi Agiri