BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has paid tribute to late Oyuki Jackson Obaseki, praising his managerial prowess as he attended a football stakeholders dinner held as part of the deceased burial ceremonies. The dinner was held at his residence, off Ekewan Road in Benin, shortly after the novelty match.
Shaibu who observed, though regrettably that the managerial challenges Obaseki solved in his time have reared their ugly heads again, adding that they were largrly responsible for the relegation of a team (Bendel Insurance) to the 8th position in the just concluded Nigerian’s Premiere League.
He called on football lovers to emulate the sage by helping with solving problems, not compounding issues.
He said: “We need to dust the documents he kept in his drawers; We need to implement the policies and the findings. Basically, the implementation of policies is our problem.”
He observed that there was the williness to stand by the legacies of the late Obaseki, but the courage was lacking, advising that persons in leadership position should put in their best at service delivery in any position they find themselves.
In an earlier novelty football match played between Ex- International Stars and Ex- Bendel Insurance FC Stars at the University of Benin Sports Complex, the Deputy Governor who helped his team to trounce his opponents with two decisive goals at the end of play dedicated the victory to the memory of the departed departed sports administrator.
He used the opportunity to declare that the forthcoming National Sports Sports Festival, Edo 2020 was an opportunity for the state to showcase and point the way to others on how such ceremonies should be organized.
The late Oyuki Jackson Obaseki was a foremost sports administrator who died August 18, 2019, at the age of 75yrs after an undisclosed illness. He was the first President of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL),. He was also the man said to have helped with injecting life into the state owned Bendel Insurance FC as the club chairman.
Football icons, members of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club, referees, a circle of friends and officials from the state government identified with family of the deceased and paid tributes.
