27 Years After, Oyo Govt Rejects Cash Rewards for Victorious 3SC 1998 Set

 27 Years After, Oyo Govt Rejects Cash Rewards for Victorious 3SC 1998 Set

By Admin

Efforts of the former players of the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) to get all their rewards for winning double titles in 1998 football season may have hit the rock.

It was gathered from reliable sources that the State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has approved allocations of lands to the ex players but did not approve cash rewards for them.

Recall that 3SC, then called IICC Shooting Stars, won the domestic league title and the West African regional title, WAFU Cup in 1998 and were promised cash rewards and plots of lands at Kolapo Ishola Estate by the then Military Governor of the State, Compol Amen Oyakhire.

Shortly after, the plots of lands were allocated to the players and officials of the team as promised but were later withdrawn by Oyakhire's successor, Governor Lam Adesina.

Since then, the promise to reward the players for doing the state proud has remained unfulfilled till date.

In March 2020, the 1998 set of Shooting Stars Sports Club under the leadership of the former Chairman of the club, Elder Bode Oyewole began the agitations to have the promises of rewards fulfilled.

Unfortunately, Elder Oyewole died two months later but the agitations to collect the rewards continued and were spearheaded by a former Secretary of the Club, Mr Akin Maxwell.

In January 2025, the former players, some of whom have died while waiting for their rewards, were thrown into jubilation and thankful moods when news leaked out from the grapevine that the State Governor had approved that the 3SC 1998 set be rewarded.

The joy of the ex players were however cut short when feelers from the state government revealed that only plots of lands are to be given to the players as cash rewards to them were not approved by the Governor.

Information reaching this reporter revealed that the rejection of the cash rewards for the 1998 set of 3SC players is contrary to the recommendations of an adhoc Committee set up to ascertain the authenticity of the claims of the former players on the yet to be fulfilled promises of lands and cash rewards.

The Committee, headed by Reverend Idowu Ogedengbe and also comprised the present Chairman of 3SC, Honourable Tunde Olaniyan, the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Youths and Sports Mrs Olubukola Oladipo, a prominent Director in the Ministry Mrs Bisi Adegoke and the 3SC Administrative Secretary Mr Babayemi, was reported to have recommended that each of the ex players and their officials be given plots of lands and cash rewards.

 The Committee was also reported to have further recommended that the cash rewards in the sum of one million naira for each of the ex players and two million naira for each of the ex officials be increased by 50% to compensate them for the long time their payments were delayed and also to take care of the depreciation of value of the money promised them twenty seven years ago.

But a white paper on the Reverend Ogedengbe led Committee's Report, prepared and submitted to the State Governor for ratification by the Office of Head of Service removed the cash rewards from the recommendations tabled before Governor Makinde.

According to our sources, the excuse of the Office of the Head of Service for expunging the cash rewards recommended by Reverend Ogedengbe's Committee from the Report presented to the Governor is that there are no evidences that the cash rewards have been collected by the ex players and officials of 3SC.

Latest reports from the camp of 1998 set of 3SC revealed that the non approval of the cash rewards for the ex players and officials of Oluyole Warriors have not only jolted but also annoyed them.

The aggrieved former players and officials of 3SC have however vowed not to give up.

A vocal member of the group said that the ex players and officials will continue their agitations and will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to get their deserved rewards.

"The rejection of cash rewards for us is not fair. We're not beggars. We are requesting for our entitlements. Government promised us rewards in 1998 for doing the state proud but the promise was yet to be fulfilled. And when the promises are to be fulfilled, the cash reward was left out. This is disheartening and discouraging. A promise must be wholly kept", he said.

"We won't allow us to be cheated. We will continue to agitate, we won't relent until all our promised rewards are given to us. It doesn't matter how long it takes us to achieve this. We have already waited for twenty seven years, we will still continue to demand for our deserved rewards until our demands are met. Governor Seyi Makinde is a listening and kind-hearted leader, we are confident that he will hearken to our voices", the ex official added.