Community leaders in Oke-Igbo have appealed to those behind the recent protest in Ile-Oluji over the appointment of council supervisors by the Local Government Chairman, Mr. Adeboye Adebare, not to create unnecessary tension in a council area renowned for political stability and peaceful coexistence.
Recall that youths in Ile-Oluji protested what they described as the marginalisation of Ile-Oluji by their counterparts in Oke-Igbo, following the recent composition of council supervisors.
Youth groups, students, and other residents converged on the Oke-Igbo Palace with various placards, insisting that the 60–40 appointment-sharing ratio must be maintained under Hon. Adeboye Adebare’s administration as Chairman of Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government.
The group, in their solidarity march, described Mr. Adeboye Adebare as a grassroots politician who once served as Supervisor for Works, later as Vice Chairman, and is now the Executive Chairman of the same local government.
They described him as a leader who plays the politics of conscience and does not engage in self-aggrandisement.
While addressing the protesters at the Oluoke Palace, Oke-Igbo, Senior Chief Tunde Odejobi noted that the constitutional right to peaceful protest is guaranteed. However, he emphasised that both principal communities would benefit more from a peaceful atmosphere and sustained security.
Chief Odejobi appealed to the youths to ensure their protest remains peaceful and to prevent miscreants and hoodlums from hijacking it.
The groups later marched from the Oke-Igbo Palace to the residence of elder statesman, Chief Taiwo Fapounda, chanting solidarity songs.
Chief Fapounda urged them to uphold peace and support good governance for the overall development of the community. He described the people of Oke-Igbo as law-abiding and peace-loving, who would never allow anarchy to reign for even a moment.
He commended the group for conducting themselves peacefully, stressing that development cannot thrive in an atmosphere of violence.
Some of the group leaders described the appointees as home-based patriots who are not only indigenes of their respective communities but also residents committed to improving their places of birth.
They further argued that Ile-Oluji has, in fact, been more favoured in political appointments since the return of democracy in 1999, citing the higher number of commissioners and governor’s aides from Ile-Oluji compared to Oke-Igbo.
They also extended an olive branch to those who have threatened “fire and brimstone” over the matter, expressing confidence that Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, would give the issue due attention.
Speaking in the same vein, former Chairman of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority, Mr.. Shina Fadamitan, recalled that the argument in some quarters that Ile-Oluji had been short-changed to favour Oke-Igbo was “economical with the truth,” misleading, and capable of causing unnecessary acrimony.
He noted that the only time a person from Oke-Igbo had been appointed commissioner since 1999 was during the administration of the late Governor Olusegun Agagu.
Fadamitan therefore advocated mutual understanding and unconditional tolerance as the building blocks of a vibrant, peaceful, and prosperous society, which he opined should be the top priority of everyone who desires meaningful development for the land and its people.
He further advised the youths to continue striving for justice and peace despite all odds.