The Edo State Sports commission has dismissed reports that its chairman, Barrister Godwin Dudu-Orumen has yet to receive his brief as head of the commission several months after he was appointed to the job.
A newspaper had in a report in the sports pages of its Sunday March 24, 2019 edition, stated that Barrister Dudu-Orumen had in addition to not having received his job mandate, had also failed to have a meeting with the Deputy Governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Phillip Shaibu, whose office oversights sports in the state.
The report also noted that the Edo State Sports Commission boss, Barrister Dudu-Orumen, following his inability to receive his brief and have a meeting with the Deputy Governor had tried without success to have audience with Governor Godwin Obaseki, to sort out the matter.
In a statement on Sunday signed by Nnamdi Okosieme, Special Adviser, Media to the chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, the commission dismissed the report as false and misleading.
Okosieme noted that contrary to the position of the paper, Barrister Dudu-Orumen was well aware of his responsibilities as boss of the sports commission.
“There is no iota of truth to the allegation that Barrister Dudu-Orumen has yet to receive his brief as boss of the sports commission months after resuming duty. The law setting up the commission is clear and the chairman is quite mindful of his responsibilities as head of the commission and has been discharging them.
“The idea that several months after Barrister Dudu-Orumen was appointed chairman of the commission, that he has yet to have a meeting with his excellency, Rt. Hon. Phillip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, is preposterous. As anyone who has followed developments in the sports sector in Edo State in the last six months will attest, Barrister Dudu-Orumen has met with the Deputy Governor on several occasions. As a matter of fact, the sports commission chairman routinely briefs the Deputy Governor on the activities of the commission. Only recently, Barrister Dudu-Orumen and His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Shaibu were in the Edo State team led by Governor Obaseki himself to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Sports on the 2020 National Sports festival to be hosted by Edo State,” Okosieme said in the statement.
He added that it was also blatantly false that Barrister Dudu-Orumen as head of the sports commission has tried without success to meet with Governor Obaseki. He said the sports commission chairman has met a few times with the governor and was with him during the signing of the MoU on the 2020 sports Festival in Abuja.
The statement urged reporters to always seek clarification on issues before publishing noting that the latest report was capable of not only injuring the reputation of Barrister Dudu-Orumen but equally denting the image of the sports commission particularly as it seeks to revolutionize sports in Edo State.
Opatola Adewole
Benin-City
