I feel highly compelled to bring up this passionate and sensitive issue in Ilaje-land, Ondo State.
My passion in this subject is hinged on who the Ilaje people and race represent and why we cannot allow our dignity and pride to be swept aside by the troubles from oil resource benefit control – who takes charge?
I do not intend to put forward any baseless logic or philosophy; but rather, establish that sound judgment, formidable and coordinated reasoning, good sense, quality sacrifice and attention be shown and of course, given to the little fire of division which started burning some years ago, due to struggles over who takes charge of oil resource benefit control in our Land; but to which no one seems to be roughened and of course, push by whatever means to extinguish it.
I state unequivocally that the Ilajes are a dignified race with a great sense of decency and respect for one another, strong communism ideology, highly diligent, equity-minded and other great qualities.
With all sense of responsibility, I would like to point out unmistakably that, it is an irony for a people bound by one language (dialect), one purpose, one culture, one occupation and exposed to the same geographical terrain, to be involved in and confronted by the issues and troubles of (dichotomy) division due to localization and concentration of oil deposits in a particular geographical area; when we are one and the same people – not different from ourselves.
The subject of dichotomy relates more meaningfully to things that are opposed to each other or entirely different from each other, but this is not the case with the Ilaje race. We are one and the same race irrespective of our political divide and locations within our geographical structure. Unfortunately, though, recently the issue of dichotomy has become thorny in our flesh and is gradually assuming a terrifying dimension which could break our common unity and undermine the dignity of the Ilaje people if not checked.
It must be mentioned at this point that, the oil resource deposits in Ilaje-land is one blessing among several which should be for the benefit of every Ilaje people within the geographical coverage of the Ilaje people in particular and the country in general. For the purposes of administration and representation, therefore, equity and fairness demand that every true-born of the Ilaje people and race be duly involved in the management of our resources and not restricted only to those from whose community or particular area the oil resource or other resources are being exploited. The fact that oil deposits are found in a particular community now, does not suggest that same and other natural resource deposits are not available elsewhere within the Ilaje geographical coverage area if prospected for exploitation.
We all must understand that before now, we had lived together as one people and stood for a common course; we, therefore, should not allow the God-given oil deposits tear us apart and becloud our sense of good judgment for better administration and management of the benefits which accrue from the resource deposits. Right now, our agenda and focus should be how to get a credible, unfeigned, trustworthy, committed, proactive and foresighted representation and leadership from Ilaje-land: Mahin, Ugbo, Aheri and Etikan, in no special order, which would truly be the eye, ear and mouth of the Ilaje people; and equitably spread the good that comes from the oil resource. It is high time we all understood that, the present (dichotomy) division where only the people from the community, town or village where the oil resource is being exploited are appointed to represent the entire Ilaje people will continue to divide us and reduce the strength of togetherness, which can only stem from a unified majority of the Ilaje race.
It is pitiable and of course, pathetic to find that the same people of Ilaje decent could be referred to or treated as unknown or strangers by their kith and kin when it comes to benefitting from the issues of oil resource appointments, representations and the likes. It is even more worrisome to imagine that, we kick against ourselves and protest, so as to undermine development in other areas of our own Ilaje-land; as appointments or representations of other Ilaje kindred from other areas of Ilaje-land are seen in some quarters amongst the Ilaje people as likely to shift focus and attention from communities where oil resource deposits are being exploited. How true could this assertion be? Are we not one anymore? Does not a place in Ilaje-land belong to all Ilaje people irrespective of your community? Is Igbokoda, our Local Government Headquarters or any other place in Ilaje not for all Ilajes, even if it is developed with the oil resource from other communities?
I would like to assert that the blessing of oil resource in the Ugbo Kingdom today, should be seen as the blessing of every Ilaje person in Ilaje-land and not only for the Ugbo Kingdom, with due respect and all compliment to our Royal father and Olugbo of Ugbo Land; as the pendulum of natural resource discoveries could shift in some years, maybe 50, 100 or 150 years to come, to another destination and Kingdom in the same Ilaje-land.
Right now, our focus should be how to administer this God-given resource through quality representations at the Federal, State and Local government and community levels by people of unquestionable and impeccable qualities from the entire Ilaje-land: Ugbo, Aheri, Etikan and Mahin, in no special order. If rightly asked, so far, have we truly gotten quality representations at the Federal, State and Local government and community levels? What impacts have the representations we have had made on the lot of both old and young in Ilaje-land?
Moreover, how many developmental and credible empowerment projects are on the ground in Ilaje-land for the betterment of our people? How many medium and high level academic, technical/vocational and professional institutions are available in Ilaje-land to aid manpower development and promote socio-economic growth? To what extent have we been able to leverage on our natural resources of water, scarce land, an abundance of fish, oil, etc to reduce the rate of poverty amongst our people? What have we done about most of our children who are out of school and have taken to pushing of trucks, wheel-barrows and some form of self-help jobs, because of poverty? What have we done about the physical development of our environment from Ugbo to Mahin, Aheri to Etikan?
What is the general state of infrastructure in the whole of Ilaje-land? What have we been able to do to reduce teenage-pregnancy problems among our little girls and promote sustainable girl-child education? Men and brethren (women inclusive), the future of the Ilajes and Ilaje-land as a whole should be topmost on the mind of every Ilaje son and daughter; from all rulers to the ruled, all technocrats to the artisans, all high and mighty to the very least of our people.
It does not matter what advantage (s) anyone or community has, going by the Acts which established the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC); the agenda on the table of Ilaje-land and her people should be: What do we do as a people to move our race and course forward among other races on earth? How do we better the lots of the average Ilaje person and our entire people with our God-given resources, including oil now in the Ugbo Kingdom? How do we reduce the level of poverty and promote a better standard of living in Ilaje-land with our resources? How do we promote a better environment and improve on the level of infrastructural development in the towns and creeks of Ilaje-land? Etc.
ILAJE, we must not allow selfishness, politics of whatever sort or who-has-the-preference syndrome becloud our sense of good judgment for what is good for the entire Ilaje race. We remain one indivisible people and must not allow the issues of oil tear us apart.
At this juncture, I throw an open challenge to our leaders and all men of good-will in Ilaje-land, to rise up and be counted for honour as we all agree to change the subject of “who-owns-what” in Ilaje-land, to “How do we use the resources in Ilaje-land (water, scarce land, oil, fish and other aqua-blessings, etc) together for the benefit of all and sundry?”
This clarion call for balance in the administration and appointment of representatives and leadership goes to all our Obas, Chiefs, Elders, Professionals, Technocrats and well-meaning Ilaje people; and knowing the enormous challenges inherent in the future before us and the developmental issues confronting our people and the entire Ilaje-land, all dissenting voices and views on oil resource dichotomy in Ilaje-land should be harmonized into one; and a common and more robust approach adopted to accommodate other Ilaje kindred who hitherto have been shut out of the circle of appointment and leadership occasioned by dichotomy dust. Moreover, we all must support and push for a change in the existing legislation which gave legal backing to the existing structure, for a more inclusive structure and of course, better credence to the common reform we intend to pursue as a people.
I, therefore, submit that this is the only way to move our race forward as a people, rather than continue with the war of “who-owns-what” which has promoted and will continue to promote unnecessary hostilities among ourselves, to climax in destruction and division of the entire Ilaje-land and people.
By Adm. Irinyemi T. W. Stephen
