Stop peddling falsehood, Onyung warns Obasi group, says Ohanaeze was duly notified over football tournament

The Chief Executive Officer of ST. Eve Concept, the Initiators of a Football Tournament for Under 15 and 17 in Lagos State, Mrs Evelyn Onyung, has appealed to the Secretary of Ohanaeze Lagos State, Robert Obasi and his group to desist from peddling falsehood in order not to tarnish the image of Ohanaeze.

Mrs Onyung made the appeal in a press release, even as she also urged the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Zone 2 Command, Lagos State to ignore the petition purportedly written by Obasi.

In the said letter being circulated by Obasi and his group, they alleged that the name and logo of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State are being used in the organization and promotion of a football tournament without the approval of the Executive of the organization. Consequently they petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police Onikan, Lagos to make sure that the football tournament does not take place under the name of Ohanaeze.

The petition which has the screaming headline: ‘Disclaimer Disclaimer

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State and ST. Eve Concept’ read in part”

The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State Executive have been drawn to a football tournament advertisement been circulated on the social media and Television stations. The state executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State hereby dissociate itself from the football tournament. The organisers of the football tournament are not known to the executive members.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State does not have any contract agreement with ST. Eve Concept to sponsor or participate in any football tournament. The public and Ndigbo at large are warned not to participate in such fraud.

The security agencies are to stop any football tournament under any guise that associates with Ohanaeze Ndigbo or her trade mark logo and arrest anyone or group of persons involved.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State is committed to providing support services for Ndigbo in Lagos and will not allow scammers to defraud our people.

The letter was then signed by Robert Obasi, Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, the man who declared himself president.

Mrs Onyung in her rebuttal disclosed that the Executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State was duly notified about the plans to organize a football tournament using Ohanaeze structure.

According to her, a letter written by ST. Eve Concept, organisers of the Football Tournament, and addressed and dated July 7, 2023 was sent to the Executive. The said letter allegedly brought notice of the football tournament to the Executive soliciting their collaboration.

To proof her point she presented the letter from St. Eve to the media:

The letter which was dated 7th July, 2023 read in part:

The President, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, Lagos State, No.1 Don Onyekachi Street, Ogudu GRA, Lagos.

INTRODUCTION AND REQUEST TO USE OHANAEZE NDI-IGBO LAGOS STRUCTURE FOR ST. EVE FOOTBALL TALENT HUNT

The above subject matter referred, St Eve Concepts Ltd, is a consulting firm incorporated with Cooperate Affairs Commission as a limited liability Company. We pride ourselves with human capital development through creation of programmes that enhance and develop organizations and communities. Our team, through our uncommon strategies and audacious nature came up with an iconic project to discover and develop football talents across all the 20 Local government Areas of Lagos State through Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo structure. Football unarguably has become a goldmine, considered as the most prominent among all sports across the globe. Our idea is to harness the heaped and undiscovered football talents domiciled in our local communities and bring them to applicable height in the soccer career.

The letter went ahead to state some of the benefits of the tournament and the nature of collaboration sort from Ohanaeze. “This league will unify us immensely both among ourselves and other tribes. This will enhance Ohanaeze as an organization in Lagos State. With the heated tension of the Igbophobia going on in Lagos State, a project like this is well needed.  We will improve and give our younger generations of football enthusiasts a sense of belonging. New talents can be harnessed and coached to be future stars in the international playing field. Ohanaeze will be seen as organization adding value to the Igbo ideology in Lagos. This will remove the already ill sentimental thinking and disappointment among the Igbos in Lagos.

“This investment in sports will bring about a whole new value of the organization across board. More flourishing ideas and other investment will spring up for both members and investors alike. This competition can be held annually to make this Ohanaeze exco regime one of the best in the history of the organization.

“We propose the competition begins from the month of a July as the schools are preparing for the long vacation in the country. This will be like a boot camp for the kids of the desired ages. With a month coaching and playing the game next month and before the new school year begins in September. We request for you and your excos to give a preferred date for a formal presentation on this project. This will accord the opportunity to explain verbally how the project will run to a successful completion,” the letter read.

According to the Initiator of the Football Tournament, the executive of Ohanaeze Lagos State was duly informed about the tournament. She said “The Letter said 7th of July, it was just a month after the letter was sent, not hearing from them we thought they were with us and we invited the President for a press conference and he came. So the president did not go against any of the organization’s law, by the way, there is a company, a consultant who brought up the initiative, and decided to use Ohanaeze structure, Ohanaeze is not funding it and the tournament has a sponsor, it has nothing to do with using Ohanaeze fund or idea, it is not as if we stole money from Ohanaeze.”

Our source also revealed that the secretary has no authority to push out letter on behalf of Ohanaeze without the signature of the president, hence his petition to the AIGP is null and void and of no effect. “The secretary does not have the right to send out a letter without he president’s signature appended on the letter. This letter is even null and void, because it doesn’t have the appendage of the president. First of all we are not even going to honour the letter because he is not the president, and he has no right to sign a letter without the president’s signature.

“But for reference purposes, a letter was sent to the exco and was read to the exco, so you can’t say the exco didn’t know about it, and by the way you are not the only exco, and in any other organization, the secretary is not the only exco and does not have the right to write a letter without the endorsement of the president. As far as Ndigbo are concerned that letter is null and void, they are only fanning the embers of discord,” our source said