Lobi Stars Coaches, Players Protest Over Six Months Unpaid Salaries, Visit Government House
By Our Correspondent
The technical crew and players of Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL side, Lobi Stars of Makurdi, Benue State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest match to the Government House over unpaid six months salaries and entitlement.
The aggrieved staff and players stormed the Government House Makurdi in protest against their chairman, Dominic Iorfa for non payment of salaries among several other allegations.
The aggrieved staff had on 29th August, 2022 visited the House of Assembly and registered their grievances before the Chairman House Committee on Sports, Hon Thomas Kwagh-Kudi and followed up to pass same message to the, Governor Samuel Ortom today.
The aggrieved staff led by Coach John Onuh (Abacha) who have not been paid since the assumption of office by Iorfa in March, were addressed by the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, ASP (RTD) Manasseh Orhena who assured them that the Governor was already aware of the issues in the club but nevertheless their grievances will be properly explained to the Governor and should be expecting feedback shortly.
The aggrieved staff cited the following issues as of most concern to them.
- Persistent non payment of Salaries.
- Misappropriation of money meant for salaries in order to buy matches instead of proving his egoistic expertise.
- Arbitrary sack without due process of players and value added staff of the club.
- Disbandment of the youth structure of Lobi Stars which is a statutory organ of the club and an enshrined pre-requisite in professional club licensing in Nigeria.
The aggrieved staff called on Governor Ortom to intervene on these issues and request documentary evidence of payment of salaries like verified PVs and Bank Schedules from March 2022 up to date and compare with that of February, 2022 when his predecessor paid last.
The aggrieved staff further called on Governor Ortom to sack Dominic Iorfa and additionally remove the club from Deputy Governor’s office to his own as his deputy has clearly compromised his position of supervising the club as chairman.
Some of the placards carried by the club had inscriptions such as: “Salaries of players and staff not for fixing matches”, “Iorfa has lost touch with modern football techniques”, among others.
