NPFL: Lobi Stars coaches, staff send SOS to governor over unpaid wages, allowances

Chosen coaches and employees of Lobi Stars Soccer Membership of Makurdi have despatched a Save-Our-Soul message to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue over alleged unpaid salaries and allowances by the administration of the membership.

The affected personnel who famous that the Governor had repeatedly with out fail launched funds month-to-month for the membership’s monetary obligations questioned why they weren’t being paid their remuneration by the administration.

Narrating his ordeal to newsmen in Makurdi, Coach John Onuh also called Coach Abacha who till March was the coach of the membership’s feeder crew lamented that almost all of them had not been paid since March.

He stated, “as I’m speaking to you I’m a employees of Lobi Stars and I’ve my appointment letter, I used to be employed by the board. I’ve not obtained my wage for the reason that month of March when Mr. Dominic Iorfa took over as Vice Chairman of the Membership.

“Although I can’t say each member of employees haven’t collected salaries however I do know that there are coaches, employees and footballers that haven’t collected salaries similar to me. And I’m very certain that no coach in Lobi Stars has been paid updated.

“Everyone knows that the Governor of Benue state has been releasing cash repeatedly on a month-to-month foundation to the membership for its obligation so we’re stunned that our salaries usually are not being paid.

“Benue state authorities is just not owing Lobi Stars as a result of for the reason that inception of the Governor Samuel Ortom’s Authorities Lobi Stars have by no means been owed one month wage. That is the primary time this type of a factor is going on within the Membership.

“We’re interesting to the Governor who’s famend for his stance towards injustice to intervene within the matter in order that my colleagues and I who’re in the identical scenario get our salaries as a result of we’ve households, we’ve duties, our kids usually are not going to high school, we additionally produce other payments to pay. A few of us have been given give up notices as a result of we couldn’t pay our rents, mild and water payments.

“If I’ll speak about myself, I’ve six youngsters, out of those six youngsters, three of them are in Secondary College and I can let you know that they didn’t write the final examination as a result of they had been chased away from college.”

In his account, Coach Tony Shav who said he had been the Youth Director of Lobi Stars stated “it is extremely unlucky that we discovered ourselves in a scenario like this in Benue. We’ve got been working and it acquired to some extent when our work was halted in March 2022 by Dominic Iorfa the Vice Chairman and we’ve not been receiving our salaries.

“Our households are struggling as a result of our kids usually are not going to high school since we can not pay their college charges and can’t additionally present the wants of our households since our salaries have been withheld for 5 months now.

“As we communicate I’m owing two resorts in Makurdi city over N260,000 which I incurred whereas doing my job. I’ve been borrowing cash on curiosity to deal with my household.

“It’s unlucky that the youth programme of the Membership which I imagine is the avenue for the Membership to become profitable for the state has been halted after the a lot work we put into scouting for gamers.

the people who labored with me has been paid for 5 months. Persons are dwelling from hand to mount, borrowing to outlive, It’s horrible that’s the reason we’re interesting to the Governor to intervene within the matter.”

When contacted, the Vice Chairman and Chief Government Officer of the Membership, Mr. Dominic Iorfa claimed that the affected personnel weren’t his employees.

He stated, “they don’t seem to be my employees as a result of once I took over in March I issued an announcement that anyone that isn’t within the first crew has to go. And I solely picked about 4 or 5 coaches. So I have no idea the stated employees who’re speaking everywhere that I’m owing them salaries of 5 or 6 months. I don’t know them.

“Earlier than I got here all of the coaches had been sacked with the previous head coach, Dombraye. The one coaches I met had been Sam Addingi and Agagbe, all people left.

“I introduced a brand new coach and took the folks I wish to work with. And once I got here I noticed that we had coaches for the youth groups who weren’t doing something. I informed myself how are you going to have greater than 40 coaches who usually are not doing something and the cash was not sufficient.

“And seeing the scenario we had been in. I informed them that I’ve the individuals that I wish to work with. I introduced out about 5 to 6 individuals out of the about 40 coaches that had been there, that’s all.

“The feeder groups that Coach Abacha was teaching had been dissolved. Tony Shav was their Director that they had nothing to maintain the crew and so they had no gamers. The feeder crew coaches had been dissolved. They aren’t my employees I’ve the employees I work with.”