11th August, 2015
Taiwo Adelu
The scrapping of Lagos State Ministry of Sports, Youth and Social Development by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in June this year is already taking its toll on the existing structures and personnel of the former ministry.
An investigation at the seat of the state government in Alausa, Ikeja, revealed that former Ministry of Sports inside the secretariat has been moved to the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where it was learnt the new Lagos State Sports Commission will now have its headquarters.
A source, who pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the new development, said that the plan of Governor Ambode is to have the Lagos State Sports Commission taking the format of the National Sports Commission, NSC, at the federal level where there is a Chairman who heads the Commission and a Director General, DG, who serves as the Permanent Secretary.
“We are going to have a Chairman and a DG here in Lagos State Sports Commission. For now the Permanent Secretary office has been scrapped, while we are waiting for the appointment of the Chairman and the DG any moment from now,” the source said.
It was also gathered that the Lagos State Sports Commission when it fully comes into operation will have one principal official for each department in the commission unlike in the past where the former Ministry of Sports and the Lagos State Sports Council had separate heads of departments. To this end, every department will now have a head that will be at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
“We now have one Accountant, one Administration Officer at Teslim Balogun Stadium instead of one for the Ministry at Alausa and another one at Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba. This is also applicable to other heads of departments across board. The office of the Director of Sports at the Sports Council, which was formerly headed by Dr. Kweku Tandor, has also been scrapped.
“What is happening in Lagos sports for now is the restructuring to fall in line with Ambode’s new directive. There has been movement of people, officials being posted out of Office of Sports and more will happen when the new Chairman and the DG are appointed, but nobody has been sacked among the civil servants except those on political appointment,” the source said.