Edo Coaches Shut Down Sporting Activities

Kanu Nkwankwo in his days of active football

Coaches employed by
the Edo State Sports Council last week shutdown sporting activities in the state to protest new promotion rules by the ministry of sports.
Facilities affected in the shutdown include the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City which main gates were padlocked by the angry workers.
The Tidesports gathered that their action was in response to a new promotion policy introduced by the ministry.
The ministry in a recent circular said that promotion of coaches and athletes in its employ would henceforth be based on certification.
Bernard Joman, the leader of the protesting coaches, called for a reversal of the circular and said their promotion should be based purely on productivity and not certification.
The Tidesports gathered that Gov. Adams Oshiomhole’s attempt to wade into the crises failed as the meeting he called did not hold.
Joman told newsmen that the meeting failed to hold on Monday due to the governor’s busy schedule.
The coaches and athletes, in their numbers, locked the entrance to the stadium as early as 7 a.m. on Tuesday, preventing sports men and women to access the facilities.
The protesting workers also burnt tyres at the main entrance to the stadium while Joman said the strike would continue until the circular was rescinded.
“We are not against education but we are against using certification and not performance as a basis for promoting coaches,’’ he said.
The Director of Sports in the state, Sunny Airende, declined comments as the protesting workers gathered around him and almost manhandled him.
On his part, the Commissioner for Sports, Presley Ediagbonya, who was also at the stadium, invited the leadership of the coaches for a meeting.