Ilaje Youths Kick Against Akeredolu Approval Of N807m For Wooden Walkways

By Victor Ebimomi
LAGOSJUNE 15TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Ilaje youths under the aegis of Ilaje Advancement Forum (IAF) has taken a swipe at the administration of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for approving N807M OSOPADEC money for the rehabilitation of what they called ‘mere meagre wooden walkways’ for Ilaje and Ese Odo local governments areas at a time they are yearning for the restoration of electricity after 10 years of blackout.
They lamented that at a time when the people in the areas were acutely suffering from lack of drinkable water, employment, good access roads, schools befitting for human beings, highly skilled teachers,
electricity and protection of the coastline from perennial sea attacks, the state government could only come up with wooden walkway.They describe it “as a gross misplacement of priority and a complete waste of time”.
In a statement signed by the group’s chairman, Abogun Oluwarotimi; Secretary, Atilade Fadeshola and the PRO, Ojukotimi Olawale made available to NewsRangers, the youths condemned the move as being out of place, saying it is a mockery to the intelligence of Ilaje people, “when in a 21st century, other progressive minded states are investing on core critical infrastructures like schools, portable water, good roads, hospitals, electricity and human capital development”.
The group therefore asked the government to divert the fund to the restoration of electricity to affected councils in Ondo South, claiming that the only infrastructure that can provide enabling environment for any form of investment to thrive is electricity.
It also demanded that the 87 million naira allegedly allocated for renovation of OSOPADEC gate should be immediately used to pay off Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for swift renovation andrestoration of electricity to the four local governments put in darkness by BEDC for years.
“The attention of Ilaje Advancement Forum (IAF) has been drawn to the recent approval of 807 million naira for rehabilitation of wooden walk ways and jetties in both Ilaje and Ese-odo Local government.
“IAF condemns this gesture in a 21st century Nigeria, where other progressive minded states are investing on core critical infrastructures like schools, portable water, good roads, hospitals,
electricity and human capital development.
“The 87 million naira allocated for renovation of OSOPADEC gate should also be immediately used to pay off BEDC for the swift renovation and restoration of electricity back to the four local governments put in darkness by BEDC after several years of blackout.
We regard the decision by ODSG to invest its meagre resources in wooden walkways, as a gross misplacement of priority and a complete waste of time.
With the recent pronouncement, ODSG have casted upon itself a task of proving to the good people of Ilaje and Ese odo, whether it has not lost touch with realities on ground.
We feel debased, violated, cynical and more hopeless each time successive Ondo state government reduces the yearnings and aspirations of our people to a mere wooden walk way.
This calculated mockery on the collective intelligence of Ilaje people can only be regarded as Daylight Rape. The Ondo State Government should henceforth stop this inhumane treatment on Ilaje Region whom 70% percent of the total state revenue is derived from”, the statement read in part.

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