By Ajadi Shakiru Opeyemi
“It is high time we build on the efforts of our forbearers, we the youth here in Ifelodun local government area can no longer be docile. We must give back in service to the society that has given so much to us”.
Gains have been made since our victory through the Ó Tó Gẹ́ Movement, which Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State is clearly piloting to a safe landing.
However, we the youth must not go back to our sleep. We must channel that same energy towards supporting the AbdulRazaq-led administration to deliver the goods and clear the rot of yesteryears.
Ifelodun local government area is said to be the largest municipal authority by land mass in Nigeria, almost same in size as Lagos, but can the same be said in terms of standard of living?
I have spent my cradle, nurturing years and now adulthood all in Kwara, from primary to secondary school at Federal Government College, Ilorin, and then to the University of Ilorin where I cut my teeth in the civil engineering space.
Born to parents from Adio Babanloma in Ifelodun local government who have been active participants in the politics of the state and the nation in their own right over the years, I have followed the turn of events in Kwara closely, and specifically, Ifelodun local government area. A lot still needs to be done.
The fact is that all those, who fought for the actualization of Ifelodun as a local government out of the defunct Igbomina Ekiti Local Government Area before it came to fruition in 1976, are either long gone or now on the reclining chair. And it is understandable. The law of diminishing return is coming to pass.
The question then arises. Where are the youth in whose interests they took on these struggles? Were they to have remained docile, would we have gotten the political standing we have achieved since then? The answer stares us in the face clearly. Complaints and grumblings have stood as a potent weapon for us the youth on the very things that we feel can be better done. But how far has that taken us?
Ogun àsọtẹ́lẹ̀ kì í pa arọ. A war announced well in advance never kills the lame, so says a Yoruba adage. The states both at the federal and state level are not looking good. Reliance on oil can no longer pay our salaries, not to talk of funding infrastructural projects. It is in this light that the youth of Ifelodun must choose to channel their own course and decide what they want their future to look like.
The onus is now on us the young generation, to leverage on our vision to bring government closer to the people by stepping in to fulfill the big picture.
History tells us that every time a great leap is made in a society, it is the youth of the population that had stirred it. From Kwame Nkruma of Ghana, Modibo Keita of Mali, Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, Sekou Touré of Guinea, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Ben Bella of Algeria and Emperor Haile Selasse of Ethiopia, who fought for the liberation of African states to Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe, Anthony Enahoro and Tafawa Balewa, crusaders of Nigerian Independence, there is one common denominator among them; they were all youth at the time they brought glory to their people.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of any economy. We the people of Ifelodun are hardworking in all sense of the word. A stroll to Ganmo, Amoyo and Kara market would certainly lay any argument on that to rest. However, can we say we are meeting up to our best potentials in the manner business is being handled in these commercial centres? The answer is evidently no, especially when we take into cognizance Governor AbdulRazaq’s Masterplan for Agriculture in the state, of which yours truly is opportune to have knowledge of having been tapped to serve on the inauguration committee of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
We must find ways to make the agriculture sector attractive to private capital through easing processes for business registration in partnership with the state government. Double taxation would need to be expunged. Tax holidays would also serve as a strong incentive, while information must be made available for easy dissemination. There is no reason why we can’t have a one-stop shop for business documentation advice at the local government secretariat in Share.
With this and more through strategic partnerships with business advisory firms, who says one cottage industry each can’t be built in Share, Agunjin, Idofian, Igbaja, Ile-Ire, Oke-Ode, Omupo, Ora, and Oro-Ago?
The jobs would naturally flow in for our people and even improved industry specific skill acquisitions would follow suit.
At Jimba Oja, Kamwire is a good example that can be improved upon. A strategic intent on replicating such development should be a creed we hold onto. That is one sure way we can meet up with engaging the many idle hands seeking to be engaged.
We must not stop at producing Garri and Shea Butter as we are currently doing. Value should be added, and it does not take rocket science to make this happen. In some instances, just drying the cassava better and enhanced packaging would do the trick of increasing revenue by over 200%. So what’s our excuse?
A healthy mind is a wealthy mind. The Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended) gives the core mandate for primary healthcare to the local government but a lot still needs to be done in that stead. The state government is doing well with supplying the basic infrastructure such as buildings, beddings, medical supplies etc.
The local government then needs to complement this by creating the enabling environment for these instruments to thrive through more funding for environmental officers, creating cell groups for grassroots mobilization against viral diseases.
One of the lessons the novel COVID-19 has taught us is the need for non-pharmaceutical preventive procedures in order to conquer all forms of infirmity. Imototo lole segun arun gbogbo. Good hygiene cures all sickness.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Today STEM learning is core to the development of any serious society and we must not be left off guard on that. The foundation years where the local government takes part in delivering basic education in partnership with the state government is critical for the development of Ifelodun local government area in the coming years. Attracting Educational Aid agencies should be a major avenue to support lack of funding in the short term.
Meanwhile, nothing stops the local government from creating incubation hubs for learning of soft skills in the ICT sector where demands for remote jobs are prevalent. This can also be a source of revenue for the local government, thereby making it a win-win solution.
The College of Nursing at Oke-Ode is a viable platform to sponsor the training of indigent students, who would not have been able to afford such skill acquisition in life. These trained individuals’ skills can then be marketed for offshore jobs in and outside Nigeria, generating foreign exchange and increasing internally generated revenue (IGR).
As far as education is concerned, we should be looking at harnessing human resource as a kind of investment drive with measurable returns over time.
Power is never served a la carte- Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Omo de gbon, agba gbon, lafi da Ile-ife. It is the wisdom of the youth and elderly that makes a town great. This is a clarion call on the youth of Ifelodun local government area to step into the arena to make a difference. It is in this light that I have decided to lead youth of like mind through the ASO Progressive Movement, which would be formally launched in the weeks ahead to articulate these ideas into reality.
We can’t continue to sound diplomatic on the issue at hand. This requires plain speaking, and for the sake of Ifelodun, please let’s speak plainly.
Ajadi Shakiru Opeyemi, an APC Chieftain, writes from Share, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
