Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The Chairman of Ijebu East local government, Hon Wale Adedayo, Sen Adegbenga Kaka as well as the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ogun State, Comrade Tunde Oladujoye, have tasked politicians to revive visionary politics of selfless leadership as espoused by the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Adedayo, Kaka and Oladujoye disclosed that the challenge of bad governance and underdevelopment would ever remain a problem with the country except its handlers from the federal to the local government level put the people first above any other interest just as Chief Awolowo did with his brand of politics during his life time.
The trio spoke at the 113th memorial birthday lecture of Chief Awolowo held at Ijebu East local government, Ogbere.
The programme was organised by Afenifere Movement, Ijebu East local government.
Speaking at the event, Sen. Kaka who was represented by Com. Rasaki Oladosu, eulogised Awolowo for his selfless services to both the region and Nigeria as a country, lamenting that the present crop of politicians in Southwest nay Nigeria are doing little partly because the masses over burdened them with their personal problems.
The former Ogun deputy governor said that the masses often thronged residences of the politicians with their problems, forgetting that they were only given mandate to wisely manage public resources for the development of their constituencies and the constituents.
He enjoined the masses to change their views about the politicians as their ATMs.
Delivering the birthday memorial lecture of the late sage titled: “Awo’s Ways: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” Hon. Tunde Oladujoye called on the region’s leaders to go back to the foundations laid by Awolowo and start building on them in order to return Yorubaland to the path of genuine progress and economic development and prosperity.
Oladunjoye extolled Awolowo’s virtues and sacrifices in the areas of education saying his belief in education as espoused in series of publications, policy initiatives and governance as a bedrock for human and societal development was in total agreement with the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) which among other things, stated that everyone has the right to education.
According to him, Awo’s contributions in the area of education remain the greatest achievement and a reference point and a pride of Yoruba race all over the world till date.
Oladunjoye recalled that Awo and his parties (Action Group of Nigeria (AG) and later Unity Party of Nigeria – UPN) implemented Universal Free Education in the Western Region of Nigeria, citing himself among the beneficiaries.
“It was an achievement yet to be matched in any part of Africa. I could remember how I got free textbooks supplied to me as a pupil of St. John’s Primary School, Ijebu Itele between 1972 and 1978. We even had a song, which must have arisen from the mobilisation for the mass literacy campaign on the Universal Free Education Programme,” he said.
The APC Publicity Secretary in the state also identified agriculture as evidence in the establishment of many farm settlements, judicious management of resources towards building of Cocoa House in Ibadan, housing scheme and healthy civil servant relationship as part of legacies of Awolowo which the region will continue to remember with nostalgia.
The Chairman of Ijebu East local government, Hon. Wale Adedayo, said the programme was put together to bring to the consciousness of the the people to the various developmental contributions of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to the South West region of the country in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
He recalled that through Awolowo, Nigeria established a television station before France, also noting that the Unity Party of Nigeria leader introduced free compulsory universal education in the region, prioritise agriculture and deployed revenue generated from the sector to different developmental projects he implemented at the time.
The local government boss called on political office holders in the country to prioritise welfare of the people they are representing, and make life meaningful for them.
He promised that his administration in the local government would deploy the little resources at its disposal to make life bearable for residents and indigenes of the council area, through provision of necessary amenities.