Amosun and Scroll of Remembrance

By  Oba Olufemi Ogunleye, Akinale

When Senator Ibikunle Amosun took over the rudder of Ogun State’s ship as the new captain on Sunday May 29, 2011, some of the multitude of enthusiastic stakeholders who witnessed the flag off at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, were not only cynical but scornfully accepted the constant variable of life that spat on their faces – change!

As he rolled out his five cardinal programmes – (i) Affordable and qualitative education, (ii) Efficient Health Care Delivery, (iii) Agricultural production and industrialization, (iv) Affordable housing and urban renewal, and (v)Rural and infrastructural development/Employment generation - in his inaugural speech after he was sworn in, traditional armchair critics wasted no time in pontificating their presumed knowledge of a failing mission.

But the nom de plume by which Senator Amosun is popularly known and addressed – Eyi o wu a wi, t’Oluwa l’ase (Humans’ views or perception notwithstanding, only God’s will is done!) stands him stead.

Amazingly, Amosun’s paradigm change in governance, evidently, an adoption of a critical path analysis module to determine what can speak for him and last as a legacy, as seen in the seemingly belated re-design and major face-lift of the state capital of Abeokuta and other important cities of the state under the urban renewal programme, without ceasing to execute other developmental programmes, has reached a crescendo just at half of the lifespan of his government’s term of four years.

As the government celebrates a second year anniversary this May, both rural and city duelers in Ogun state have one song or the other to sing in praises of this steadfast, rugged and irredeemable fighter for justice, Senator Ibikunle Amosun for his restless passion to fulfill his mission to rebuild Ogun state.

My scout confirmed that there has been substantial progress in each of the five cardinal programmes spread across the 20 local government areas of the state, but I like to limit my observation and comment to our experience in the Ewekoro Local Government where I live and which also is the home-base of the governor.

Taking cue from the Obafemi Awolowo legacy of free education in the Western Region of old, Governor Amosun’s Mission to rebuild Ogun State, include heavy investment in infrastructure, training and motivation of personnel, students and pupils so as to obtain high quality results. 

Available records confirm that all schools in our local government have benefitted from the free education programme e.g. free distribution of text books to primary and secondary schools; busary awards, scholarship grants, subvention to tertiary institutions and supply of various categories of furniture for different stages of schools in the state.

Construction work has reached advanced stage on the model school with boarding facilities located at Akinale, Owowo Ward of Ewekoro local government. This is one of the 28 of such schools planned for all the 20 local government of the state.

In tandem with the Local Government, previously abandoned farm settlements have been reactivated for empowerment of the youth; local feeder roads are being graded for ease of transport while major markets such as Arigbajo near Ifo, are being redesigned to provide lock-up shops for traders. 
Fufu processing centre in Itori market is being modernized for healthy production and marketing while the local government has completed the construction and equipped the Health Centre in Ajegunle in Abalabi ward.

The Ewekoro Local government is the most relatively peaceful among the 20 local governments in the state. The synergy between the Chairman of the Local Government, Surveyor Zacheous Oludele Adio Soluade and the traditional rulers in the area has been magical in warding off inter and intra communal clashes, particularly arising from land and chieftaincy disputes, thus promoting peace and tranquility in all settlements that make the local government.

Governor Amosun’s icing on the cake of social development in Ewekoro Local Government is the elevation of two traditional rulers in the domain, Towulade of Akinale, Oba Olufemi Adewunmi Ogunleye and Olu of Afowowa-Sogade, Oba M.O. Hamzat, as permanent members of Egba Traditional Council as well as members of Ogun State Council of Obas.