BY VICTOR UFOT
Allegations has continued to rock Mr. Monday Uko’s tenure as Commissioner for Sports in Akwa Ibom State as football stakeholders have once again accused the former commissioner for allegedly diverting monies meant for the running of state owned football clubs for personal use.
The stakeholders while speaking with THE INK Newspaper said they were forced to speak out because of the continuous embarrassments Monday Uko’s tenure as Sports commissioner has continued to cause the state government and the entire people of Akwa Ibom State even after he left office.
Our sources who spoke with us on condition of anonymity described Monday Uko as a man who was tribal in his dealings and exceedingly corrupt. The sports enthusiasts said that Mr. Uko was so wild that no one in the state football circle knew how finances of the various were handled.
The stakeholders further said that even the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of sports was not carried along in the running of sports especially football in the state. They alleged that the Permanent Secretary denied Mr. Uko recently when the Permanent secretary was invited to appear before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly committee on Sports.
Our sources on their different tales blamed Mr. Uko for the relegation of Akwa Starlet and the miserable performance of Akwa United last season. They said that the relegation of Akwa Starlet was an embarrassment which with proper management would have been avoided. They described the situation where two of the state sponsored clubs were relegated under his nose as unacceptable and intolerable.
They also expressed bitterness over the situation where three teams, Ibom Youths, Akwa Starlet and Kofine FC sponsored by the state government will play in the Armature league next season describing it as demeaning.
Monday Uko according to our sources is said to have used his position as the Commissioner for Sport to frustrate plans to appoint Chairmen for each of the state owned football clubs.
This they say he did because he knew that if the Chairmen are appointed they will checkmate his excessive mischievous tendencies so he chose to work with Emman Iba alone.
Our sources averred that Mr. Uko aka Monty was not alone in his dirty deals but was in business with his ‘errand boy’ Emman Iba, who is the Chairman of Ibom Angels FC and Akwa Starlet. Our multiply sources said Emman Iba was the one aiding Mr. Uko to commit all the evil he committed while in office. Emman Iba according to our source have been disclosing to his close associates that he was an errand boy to the former commissioner because he was not given any appointment letter by the commissioner as Chairman Ibom Angels and Akwa Starlet.
Investigations by THE INK Newspaper revealed that the recent protest carried out by players of Ibom Angels Football Club over nonpayment of their match bonuses, salaries and other stipends was a result the mismanagement of the club by Mr. Monday Uko and Emman Iba. A situation the Stakeholders was an insult to the state government who has been doing everything within is powers to develop sports in the state despite the paucity of funds.
One of the players of Ibom Angels who confided in THE INK reporter said that they have badly fed by the club management.. She also complained that the management of the club under the leadership of Monday Uko and Emman Iba have not been sensitive to their welfare. The player decried the ugly situation and said that they were treated like orphans by the club’s management.
However, football stakeholders in the state are of the opinion that the state Government should source for money from elsewhere and clear the backload of debts owed players of the various state sponsored teams or invite the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to probe the tenure of the sacked commissioner.
They also appealed to the State House of Assembly committee on sports chaired by Hon Victor Udofia to make sure that monies are recovered from the former commissioner who they alleged had embezzled a whole lot of money running into millions of Naira.
In a related development, according to our sources who are top sports administrators in the state, Mr. Monday Uko have been boasting at any given opportunity to his close friends in the state and sports stakeholders that he must serve throughout Udom’s first term, cowardly bragging that without his financial support Udom would not had emerged as governor of the state.
The stakeholders also appealed to the governor to appoint someone who has the interest of the state and sports at heart as the next Commissioner of Sport and not a corrupt person as the former commissioner Monday Uko whose sole interest was to enlarge his pocket and businesses with state funds.
When contacted by our reporter to responds to allegations leveled against him, Mr. Monday characteristically refused to respond to his phone calls.
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