OKE-AGBO: Reflecting toga of rurality

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Oke-Agbo Community Development Association (CDA), Mr. Wasiu Odujirin and his counterpart, the secretary of the association, Mr. Hakeem Muritala have lamented the infrastructural decay and security problem in the community, thus appealing to the state government to come to their rescue.

They made this appeal recently to our reporters who visited the ancient community, in Ikorodu division which has a multi-cultural population of residents, who are mainly farmers, peasant traders and Artisans.

In a brief interview with the PRO of the Community Development Association, Mr. Wasiu Odujirin, he said that the major problem facing the community, amongst others, is lack of regular supply of portable water. According to him, the two borehole facilities provided for the community by the state government and Hon. Abike-Dabiri-Erewa have not been able to meet the needs of the residents due to lack of regular electricity supply. Odunjirin said that their situation had been worsened by the rainstorm, which damaged some electricity poles and prevented the community from using the borehole as well as having electricity supply for the past three months.

He also accused the deposed Baale of the community of hijacking one of the two generating sets donated by Hon. Dabiri to power the borehole while also claiming that the other one was stolen by some hoodlums, who invaded the area recently. Odujirin said that water problem in the area has forced many residents to fetch water from a nearby lake for their daily needs, a situation which he described as pathetic and warned that there is danger of cholera outbreak, unless there is urgent intervention from the government.

Some residents, however led our reporters to the lake located in the thick forest on the outskirts of the town. Apart from its pale green colour, the lake popularly referred to as 'Olumeri' is almost overtaken by bushes. There is also an indication that some residents come to the lake to perform sacrifices and other fetish activities as some trees were wrapped with white clothes.  Mr. Odujirin, however, implored the officials of the electricity company to help in fixing the damaged electricity poles to restore electricity to power the boreholes.

In his own reaction, the CDA secretary, Mr. Hakeem Muritala deplored the security situation in the community and implored the state government to render help. He disclosed that the residents hardly sleep with their two eyes closed due to the activities of land dealer and land grabbers, who regularly threaten to displace the people so that they could sell their landed properties.

In his view, the leadership feud among the three descendant families of the community has worsened the security problem of the community as one of the families employed the services of hoodlums to dislodge their opponents and this has placed the community under siege. While urging the warring families to bury their hatchets in order to restore peace, Mr. Muritala tasked the state government to site a police station in the community to check the excesses of the land grabbers.

Also speaking, Mr. Gbenga Orelaja, an indigene of the community decried lack of adequate infrastructure in the United Native African Primary School and Ifelodun High School in Oke-Agbo. He said that the buildings in the primary school are outdated and need to be renovated and equipped with adequate furniture and other necessary facilities that would make learning conducive for the pupils.

Mr. Orelaja also said that the schools are yet to receive any attention from Imota LCDA despite several letters written to the chairman and implored the state government to urgently help in upgrading of the schools. He explained that there is no market in the town presently as residents have to travel as far as Ikorodu before they could buy food stuffs and other items. According to him, the community also needs, a health care center to serve the residents especially during emergency.

While giving assurance, Mr. Orelaja said that there is enough land in the community, where a market and hospital could be constructed and urged the state government to help in alleviating the sufferings of the people by providing these facilities as soon as possible.

On electricity supply, he pleaded with the electricity company for regular supply of light to the community and also requested that the government should give them more transformers to ensure that everyone in the area enjoys electricity.