Fans’ Letter to Gov Amaechi: Rescue our crashing Sharks FC
Greetings, your Excelency.
My name is Patrick Green A K A Oshodi. I am the coordinator of fans of Sharks FC, Dolphins FC and Rivers Angels FC.
I am also a staunch admirer of your style of Governance in Rivers State, and I pray God Almighty to give you the grace and courage to continue in your good works for us. (Rivers People).
Permit me to use this medium to strongly appeal to you to critically look into the activities of one Mr. Okechukwu Kpaluku a civil servant of the rank of a Deputy Director. He is the Administrative Officer cum General manager of sharks FC.
A self styled sole administrator that has strongly circumvented the civil service rules and regulations (Law).
This man- Mr Okechukwu Kpaluku has been the bane of sharks football club since he was posted from ministry of chieftaincy and community affairs to Sharks as Administrative Officer In October 2007 when he assumed office.
Since then, he has bedeviled the club with his Ineptitude, Autocratic Unreceptive and Unprogressive Style of Administration in Sharks.
His Autocratic and Unprogressive style of administration came to climax in 2011/2012 as well as 2012/2013 football league season, just to buttress but a few of his style that has been inimical to the progress of Sharks FC since he assumed office.
The last and the previous seasons mentioned above, he deceived followers of football and players to believe that your administration was not willing to pay any player plying his trade in Sharks more than 4,000,000.00 (four million naira) as signing –on fees on annual or yearly contracts and also that the peg point for salaries of players was not to exceed N120,000.00 (one hundred and twenty thousand naira) per month.
Insinuating that the directive emanated from your office- the Governor of Rivers State. Even though we doubted that such directive emanated from your office. This lead to the Exodus of most of our virile and key players in sharks to other clubs with better or much better offers.
This was evidenced in the poor performance of sharks in the past two seasons mentioned above.
Ironically, the same Mr. Okechukwu Kpaluku claimed that you approved 5.5 million naira for him as signing-on fees, which of course he collected in 2011/2012 season.
Am also sure that he included his name for the signing-on fees .Budget of sharks FC for the just concluded season 2012/2013, as he has often done in previous seasons.
Mr. Okechukwu Kpaluku is a career civil servant and can’t be on signing-on fee annually.
The question is, how come a career civil servant who will earn gratuity and pension at retirement more than the players and assistant coaches who are on yearly contractual agreement?
We are aware that Mr. Kpaluku is posted as an Administrative Officer in Sharks FC and not on secondment in Sharks FC that is to say that he is doing his job as a Deputy Director in Sharks under the ministry of sports.
How come he is entitled to double salaries –one as a Deputy Director in the ministry and the other as an Administrative officer cum General Manager of Sharks FC?
His monthly salary in Sharks is over N150, 000.00 (one hundred and fifty thousand naira) per month, this is over that of any player in Sharks as well as the assistant coaches.
How come the same Mr. Kpaluku the GM of Sharks earns over N200, 000.00 (two hundred thousand naira) for feeding and accommodation allowances aside his transport- to and fro for every match played by Sharks, while the players of the team –Sharks, earns at most N18, 000.00 (eighteen thousand naira)each for away matches and earns less than that in each of their home matches.
This same GM earns N35, 000.00 (thirty- five thousand naira) as match bonus for every match that Sharks wins. While the players and assistant coaches earns lesser or in some cases none at all.
It is on record that before Sharks FC acquired a new coaster bus of their own three months ago, this despot, rather than repair Sharks coaster bus, which was precisely N150, 000.00 (one hundred and fifty thousand naira) repairs cost, he abandoned it and preferred to hire buses for two seasons.
Over 40 trips of Sharks away matches were embarked on hired buses from the Government House or else where at the rate of N250, 000.00 per trip, while the official rate for each of such approvals was N600, 000.00 (six hundred thousand naira) what he did with the balance of N350, 000.00 accrued from each trip still remains a misery till date.
Mean while the amount spent overtime on hire of buses would have been enough to purchase or acquire two of such buses.
He intentionally averted the repair of the coaster bus, so as to have avenue to misappropriate funds in the name of Sharks.
The Driver Mr. Friday will attest to the facts, if thorough investigation is done.
I guess all these are parts of his inconvenience allowance in Sharks FC.
If a career civil servant can earn this much with impunity, then why would he deprive others who are on contract like staffers, players and technical crew of Sharks who rightly deserve it.
The same Mr. Okechukwu Kpaluku was redeployed in 2010 from Sharks FC by the then Head of service for going contrary to the state Government preference for Dr Sam Sam Jaja on the board of NFF.
This was during the Era of Boma Iyaye as commissioner for sport. Rather than oblige, this audacious civil servant fought the board lead by Ramson Baribote his crony.
You are Excellency, you are aware that Sharks FC was given a two week ultimatum to revert Mr. Kpaluku’s posting back to Sharks or face Expulsion.
The state Government had no alternative than to respond accordingly by reverting his posting.
This Tin-God of a Gm in Sharks was again posted out – redeployed on July 31st 2013, to ministry of urban development from Sharks, instead of obliging first, he once again reverted his posting on 13th of August.
Mean while his replacement Mr. Miebaka Fiberesima a principal administrative officer from chieftaincy and community affairs obliged within the required seven days to replace him.
Since August 5th 2013 Mr. Miebaka Fiberesima has been left dormant and impotent in Sharks without a portfolio.
What it means is that Sharks at the moment has two administrative officers with the same responsibilities.
Will that not amount to conflict, as Junior as the other may seem?
Players, technical crew and backroom staff of Sharks FC are disillusioned and disenchanted that Head of service has not responded to the plight of every soccer loving fans and supporters of Sharks.
I (we) know that your administration do not take lightly gross indiscipline from civil servants or any one under your employ or administration.
We therefore fervently plead and beg that you intervene to save Sharks FC from the very poor s
I know you have a way of astutely ascertaining most of these facts yourself.
When the righteous rules, the people rejoice.
We are happy with your Governance.
Long live your Excellency!
Long live Rivers State!
Long live Sharks football club.
