ONDO SPORTS COUNCIL GENERAL MANAGER, BABATUNDE OMOYELE BOWS OUT WITH FLEETING HONOURS

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ONDO SPORTS COUNCIL GENERAL MANAGER, BABATUNDE OMOYELE BOWS OUT WITH FLEETING HONOURS By Sola Lebile

It is with fleeting honours that Babatunde Henry Omoyele, the General Manager of Ondo State Sports Council bows out from the service today Thursday, 15th October, 2024. Of course, his case is that of a gifted child who conquered the impossible. His magic wands? Hard work, passion, determination, self-confidence, far-sightedness and abiding fate in God.

2. It is amazing that against the backdrop of difficult circumstances, young Babatunde rose from the basics to top of his career. A quick throw back, Babatunde ( fondly called Yellow ) in the early eighties, began as a young swimmer, diving into shallow but dangerous canal river at Larada, Igbokoda. His tutors were Mr. Jose Fauga and Adeojo Martins.
3. Then the opportunity was rare. It was very hard to get somewhere outside the vicinity for something great. But against all odds, Babatunde Yellow waddled through and clipped to the top through swimming which he pursued with his creative energy.
4. We remember vividly Babatunde and his coterie of young swimmers, especially the Baba Isaiah Orirun’s children (Lucky (late), Christiana (late), Idowu and Abednego a.k.a Abedi), diving into water and making it their friends. Indeed,they popularized the sport of swimming and inspired youngsters in Ilaje Local Government and its environs. Their dexterity in swimming, be it freestyle, back stroke, butterfly remained evergreen. But for me, remaining an amateur swimmer as ever, only to play safe on water.
5. Check the records, Babatunde and Christianah Orirun with their extraordinary speed in the water sport excelled when they represented the state at national competitions and with medals to show. Before long, the trio of Babatunde, Abedi and Christianah flew down abroad to swim and returned with laurels to the delight of all.

6. Understandably, Government absorbed Babatunde into the service in 1989 to enable him concentrate on his swimming activities in full even while in secondary school. He then began his career with the Ondo State Sports Council. Babatunde never allowed the job to derail him off track. He had his eyes on higher education, realizing that it will earn him better status and success worked to achieve the goal.
7. Eventually, he got admitted into the University of Ilorin, Kwara State in 1997 where he graduated in 2001. Not done, Babatunde was at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in 2007 for his Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) and graduated in 2009. Again, he proceeded to Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State where he obtained Master (M.Sc) in Political Science in 2019. In 2020, he went back to his alma mater, University of Ilorin and bagged Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). He is currently awaiting his PhD in political Science with special interest in Comparative Political from Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. Whao! More than a swimmer.

8. Time is passing, when someone from Ilaje/Ese Odo Local Government areas was the Commissioner for sports, it was expected that at least one standard swimming pool would be constructed to start breeding great swimmers like Babatunde and even Olympic medalists like Michael Phelps and Australian’ s Kyle Chalmers.That expectation was completely dashed. Meanwhile, in 2020, he was appointed as the General Manager of Ondo State Sports Council after a competitive interview for which he came first among the eleven competitors. His tenure as General Manager of the the Sports Council though short but has been remarkable. Indeed, it was a worthwhile tenure. He led the state’s contingent to national events such as the National Youth Games, National Sports Festival and the National Para Games with excellent results.

9. Babatunde as I know him is a manager of resources, humble, intelligent and straight forward talker.When he talks he won’t try to please anyone but seek only to please God and his conscience. “in the last Commonwealth games held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, I was to go there but due to fund constraints, I couldn’t”, he said in a conversation with him recently.

10. Babatunde Omoyele is a fellow who has trotted across the country and beyond for sporting activities. Name it, Harare, Zimbabwe, Harare, Darka, Senegal, Madrid, Spain, Switzerland to mention but a few. He retires today but still young, vibrant and bubbling with great ideas. It is certain that he cannot shut down being active.

11. How will someone who is at the verge of completing his PhD Programme in Political Science with emphasis on comparative politics be shot down by retirement? . An individual belonging to several associations, namely; Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM); Institute of Certified Public Accountant of Nigeria, Fellow, Chartered Institute of Finance and Control of Nigeria (CIFCON), Member, Technical Swimming Committee (TSC) Nigeria Aquatic Federation (NAqF, formerly called Nigeria Swimming Federation) and he is a FINA listed Referee in the World Swimming Body. Babatunde who is the current South West Representative on the Board of Nigeria Aquatic Federation is also the Secretary General of the Nigeria Directors of Sports and General Managers’ Forum, among others.

12. For sure,Babatunde Henry Omoyele is a remarkable talent in the world of swimming and sports! He is a pride to his generation.

Sola Lebile (15-02-2024).