By Victor Oluwasina
For over ten years running, virtually all the communities of Ondo South Senatorial District, which is made of six local government areas of Ilaje, Ese Odo, Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo and Ile Oluji-Oke Igbo, have been under a blanket blackout.
Many petitions and appeals by the people of the District to the authorities, particularly the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), which distributes electricity to Ondo State, the former Ondo State Government and the Federal Government have met no positive response, thus worsening the people’s justified feeling of despondency and neglect of the District by successive governments at both the state and federal levels.
Also the roads leading to major towns and communities in the District together with the ones within the towns, are deplorable and frustrating. Thus, movement of persons, goods, properties and farm products is embarrassingly slow, thereby frustrating economic activities already laid prostrate by the over one decade blackout. Economic activities in the district are already crippled with the blackout and deplorable road network.
Worse still, portable water supply is a luxury that is non-existent in the District, thus forcing the people to rely on wells, streams, rivers, rainwater and the salty, brackish and black sea water already polluted and contaminated with human wastes, dead animals and other life threatening impurities. Thus water borne diseases among other serious ailments that are already past tenses in other districts of the state, are prevalent in Ondo South Senatorial District, ravaging majority of the helpless people who look eagerly to government and their leaders full of hope.
Worse hit are the people in Ilaje and Ese Odo Local Government areas, which are the major riverine areas of the District, who defecate inside the Atlantic Ocean, dump their wastes in it, bathe with it, drink its water, cook with it and depend on it for other domestic uses. Hence the millions of people inhabiting the vast and extensive coastal areas of the sate are vulnerable to many water borne diseases. And Ondo State has the longest coastline in West Africa.
The people of Okitipupa and Irele Local Government areas, which share boundaries with Ilaje and Ese Odo also share in this plight. Thus the people who inhabit the fringes of these endangered riverine local government areas, are also at risk of contacting water borne diseases and other preventable ailments afflicting their Ilaje and Ese Odo neighbours. Thus our people in Ilaje, Ese Odo, Okitipupa and Irele Local Government Areas, numbering several millions, are all vulnerable to water borne diseases, frequent breakdowns due to ill health in health, and untimely death which is becoming too frequent.
Notably the problems existing in the District were inherited by the present State Government led by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who is making tremendous efforts to redress the problems.
Although his visionary and people oriented APC administration has been trying to redress this deplorable situation which he inherited, there is need to join hands with the Ondo State Government in ensuring that the existing health facilities including maternities, health centres and hospitals across the District are well equipped, adequately staffed with qualified medial doctors, nurses and other relevant health personnel, well stocked with drugs and other consumables with adequate infrastructures and other needs.
Unfortunately, the people generally patronise quacks, charlatans, dupes, fake and dubious babalawos, traditional or local medicine men, marabouts, pastors, alfas, seers, prophets and substandard medicine stores where they are offered fake and adulterated drugs which rather than alleviate, compound and aggravate their health problems. This is a major cause of untimely death being recorded too frequently in Ondo South Senatorial District of Ondo State.
Largely, the people of the District are farmers, petty traders and artisans whose businesses and means of livelihood depend substantially, as in other districts within or outside Ondo State, on regular power supply, good roads, portable water supply and other basic amenities.
The only visible large scale industrial establishments in the entire Ondo South Senatorial District are Ile Oluji Cocoa Industry, Oluwa Glass in Okitipupa, and Okitipupa Oil Mill. The last two of the industries, which were established by the exemplary administration of the late revered Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, are moribund.
Today, the most notable visible sign of government presence in the entire Ondo South Senatorial District is Olusegun Agagu University, Okitipupa, (OAUSTECH), which is owned and funded by the Ondo State Government.
Here, Governor Akeredolu deserves special commendation for boldly stepping in and rescuing the institution from being consigned to the dustbin of history.
Until 2017 when the Governor came in, the institution had been abandoned for eight years, while the uncompleted and abandoned facilities and structures numbering about 30, in the institution were rotting away.
The neglected facilities were built by the administration of the cerebral late Governor Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, who founded the university. He was an eminent scholar, exemplary leader, a politician of tremendous goodwill across the federation, the major rallying point for politicians of note in Ondo State, and an illustrious son of Iju Odo in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo South Senatorial District.
Commendably still, Governor Akeredolu has pledged to give adequate attention to OAUSTECH by providing necessary funds, infrastructures and support for its research and academic activities.
All the problems enumerated above and others not listed, need to be addressed and redressed urgently to reassure the people of the Ondo South Senatorial District that their leaders and governments both at the state and federal levels actually care for their welfare and development.
In view of the abject neglect over the years of the District by successive federal and state administrations, our people need to be reassured that their leaders and governments see them as human beings with basic needs to meet.
And to make powerful, passionate, unrelenting, convincing, impactful and mature representation of our people at the highest level of leadership in the District to ensure that government at both the state and federal levels shift their focus now to reverse and redeem the prevailing neglect, requires that our people of Ondo South Senatorial District elect their most credible leader as their Senator in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate in the next election.
This is not a matter for a greenhorn or political Lilliput. Like the Yoruba use to say: “Atari ajanaku ki ise eru omode” (The elephant’s head is too heavy for a mere child to carry).
Our good people need now as their Leader at this highest level of lawmaking in the country a man of an elephantine political weight, of timber and Calibre with the right and fruitful connections to exploit largely to their benefit, experiences, passion, selflessness, integrity, honesty of purpose, vision and dedication to fighting genuinely and maturely for the welfare of the people of Ondo South Senatorial District.
This is where His Excellency Ambassador Sola Iji comes into focus.
As an ambassador, an envoy, with the same status as a Head of State, Prime Minister or President of a Country addressed and respected statewide, nationwide and worldwide as “His” or “Your Excellency”, a designation reserved only for Governors of states, Presidents, Prime Ministers or Heads of State of Countries, His Excellency Ambassador Joseph Olusola Iji undoubtedly stands tallest among not only the aspirants to the seat of Ondo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, but also among all Senatorial or whatever aspirants in the three districts of Ondo State and in all Senatorial districts across Nigeria.
By virtue of this highest office as Nigeria’s Ambassador representing Nigeria in another country, he has the widest connections among all the aspirants into this exalted seat demanding a large heart, an utmost seriousness, responsibility, unselfishness, and reliance.
As it is, His Excellency Ambassador Iji has the most intimate relationship with those in authorities not only in Ondo State, but more importantly also at the national and international levels.
Combined with the various political and administrative offices where he has served meritoriously for over 30 years in this country, he knows the game of getting the legitimate entitlements of the people he leads from whatever quarters at the state, national and even international levels. He knows the legitimate buttons to press and the relevant authorities and holders of offices at the state, national and international levels to contact productively in fighting maturely successfully for the legitimate rights and entitlements of the people he leads.
Remarkably he has worked intimately with most of these office holders who are sitting at the helm of affairs calling the shots today in high places of our country’s political, administrative and corporate governance. Most of them he knows and relates with on first name basis with whom he wines and dines as friends.
A man with varied political and administrative experiences of over three decades, high connections cutting across Ondo State, all other states of the Federation, federal agencies, the Federal Government, the political and decision making circles across the country, His Excellency Ambassador Sola Iji stands on top as the helper the people of Ondo South Senatorial District need now to connect them to the abundance flowing in our Country Nigeria through the state and federal governments.
These are facts that are easily verifiable with supporting documents and glowing testimonies over the years running over three decades. His tall and intimidating profile testifies more convincingly that His Excellency Ambassador Sola Iji is the man that the people of Ondo South Senatorial District need now as their Senator to represent them most effectively in the National Assembly.
Aspiring to political leadership positions is a very sensitive issue that our people and all those connected with bringing leaders to office need to take more seriously.
Undoubtedly, His Excellency Ambassador Joseph Olusola Iji is today the most prominent of the all respectable and qualified sons of Ondo South aspiring to fly the APC ticket in the forthcoming Senatorial Election and the most eminently qualified of all the senatorial aspirants in Ondo South Senatorial District, whose contributions in the Senate and the necessary legitimate buttons he will be pressing both inside and outside the National Assembly will be to the tremendous benefit of our people. Indeed Ambassador Iji in the National Assembly will be a blessing to the people of Ondo South Senatorial District and the entire Ondo State.
Besides, as a team player of note, he will work harmoniously with his colleague Senators and House of Representatives members in the National Assembly in the interest of us all to attract tremendous development to Ondo South, Ondo State and the entire South West Region.
An illustrious son of Ondo South, Nigeria’s former ambassador to Togo; ex-Ondo State Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which fused into APC; former chairman Kwara CAN Caretaker Committee; a barrister at Laws, having his Masters of Law in view, Ambassador Iji also holds Masters of Science degree (M.Sc.) in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management; Master of Business and Public Administration (MBPA); B.A English; and IPR Course Certificate in Public Relations.
He is a member each of Nigerian Industrial Relations Association; University of Lagos Alumni Association; Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria; and Nigerian Bar Association; Associate member Nigerian Institute of Management; and that of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK and Nigeria.
He served as Director, Mass Organisations of Hope 93 MKO Abiola for President; Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of Social Democratic Party; Assistant Secretary, NLC/TUC; Secretary National Steering Committee of defunct Nigeria Labour Party; member Swearing-in subcommittee 2015 Presidential Inauguration Committee; chairman Akwa Ibom State Legislative Appeals Committee; Executive Secretary Food, Beverages & Tobacco Senior Staff Association; and Alliance for Democracy candidate into Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency among others.
Oluwasina, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Akure, the Ondo State capital.
