Residents of Oke -Ore town yesterday on Ota-Idiroko road, Ogun State protested the incessant attacks by land speculators.
They alleged that land speculators wanted to forcefully eject them from their ancestral homeland.
For an hour, vehicular traffic came to a halt as the town’s women, men and youths armed with placards and tree branches, marched on the stretch of the dual lanes road, cursing land speculators that have been terrorising them since the beginning of the year.
The residents said they have “lost a promising young boy, Bidemi Akinde, last Wednesday, including their peace and privacy, to such attacks”.
They appealed to the Federal Government to protect them from routine assault by the land grabbers.
They accused a land speculator of frequently leading armed thugs “to attack them day and night”, ostensibly to dispossess them of their residential and farm lands.
Addressing reporters in midst of the town’s chiefs, their community development committee’s (CDC) chairman, Apostle Kunle Amosu, said they are predominantly Egba and Egbado people, whose ancestors lived and occupied their present location over 300 years ago.
Amosu said there were no records that their forefathers paid tribute on the land to anybody by whatever name, wondering why the land grabber and some families in Ota were bent on dispossessing them of their “inheritance.”
He noted that the land speculator was arrested last week with the help of soldiers and handed over to the police.
He appealed to Nigerians to protect and ensure that the land speculator “does not escape justice”.
There is fresh apprehension in Ijoko community, Ogun State, following what residents call the return of some hoodlums who were arrested a few months ago.
The suspected hoodlums were arrested in connection with the mayhem which engulfed the community on December 23, 2014 during which many vehicles and buildings including the palace of a traditional ruler were razed.
Nine persons were arrested at the time.
T he police also recovered assorted guns, cutlasses and charms said to belong to the suspects were recovered from their alleged base at Alasia area of the community.
Two groups, Ijoko Youth Forum and Concerned Citizens of Ijoko,want the state government to save residents from the suspects alleged to have been harassing residents since their return.
In a petition to Governor Ibikunle Amosun, spokesmen for the groups Musbau Olatidoye and Kafayat Shokunbi, said the men “have been harassing, molesting, killing, looting and destroying innocent people’s property. They have been using an uncompleted building at Alasia area of Ijoko which serves as their armoury.
“Sometime last year, some anti-riot policemen came to the same uncompleted building and 12 locally made guns, two pump action guns,191 cartridges, two cutlasses, one axe, charms and masquerade clothing among others were recovered but surprisingly they secured their freedom in the court. Since they returned and resumed their hostility in Ijoko, all of us have been living in fear.”
The groups said the situation might escalate if the men are not called to order immediately.
The petitioners added: “No fewer than 13 people have been killed by the hoodlums since they started terrorizing the community. We want to urge the police, Department of State Security Service (DSS) and other law enforcement agencies to come to our rescue from the grip of the heartless thugs.”
A community leader who simply identified himself as Elder Lande said: “We have been living in fear since the boys returned from detention. They would drink and smoke cannabis and beat up people with impunity.They should be checked in the interest of peace in this community.”
Peace remains yet elusive in Ado Odo community in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, two years after a violent crisis forced its monarch, Oba Lateef Adeniran Akanni, to relocate to Abeokuta, the state capital.
The community was enmeshed in chaos on April 14, 2013, when some hoodlums laid an ambush for the traditional ruler, stripped him naked and beat into coma on his way to a crucial meeting of monarchs in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.
His attackers also looted and vandalised his palace. Some vehicles that were parked in the expansive compound were also set ablaze by the hoodlums who also beat one of the Oba’s children black and blue and allegedly attempted to rape the monarch’s eldest wife, Olori Adebisi Akanni, after injuring her.
It took the combined intervention of soldiers from the Army Barracks in Owode and police operatives to rescue the Oba, his wife and children.
The crisis was the fallout of a lingering legal tussle over the traditional stool of the Awori community over which the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Oba Akanni on January 12, 2009.
Although, Oba Akanni was crowned by the Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration on May 2, 2009, peace has since taken a flight from the community.
A group of indigenes under the aegis of Ado Odo Initiatives fear that the absence of the monarch might affect the location of the headquarters of the proposed Ado/Igbesa Local Council Development Area in the community.
The spokesman of the group, Wale Adegbola, said: “The long absence of Oba Akanni has created a gulf in the development of our great community. As we speak, no single project has been inaugurated in our community while the Ado/Igbesa Council Development Area being proposed by the Ogun State Government is already generating ripples because of reports suggesting that its secretariat might be moved to a neighbouring community.
“The Olofin Adimula of Ado Odo is a first class stool and the presence of Oba Akanni in the community would have gone a long way in dissuading the proponents of the relocation of the council’s secretariat to another community.
“We urge the state government under the leadership of Senator Ibikunle Amosun to expedite action on a White Paper submitted by the panel of enquiry on the crisis that forced our monarch to relocate to Abeokuta, so that Oba Akanni can return to the community to engender meaningful development and progress.”
Not a few residents also lamented the absence of the monarch when our correspondent visited the town during the week.
A cross section of respondents explained that the long absence of Oba Akanni had taken a toll on the progress and development of the town.
An indigene of the town, Mr Adekunle Olaoluwa, said the return of Oba Akanni was necessary because his presence would rub off on the growth of the community and restore the confidence of its dwellers on hope for meaningful development.
Olaoluwa aid: “No leaderless community thrives. A community can only achieve greatness when there is a leader that serves as a rallying factor for the indigenes, and that is why we are clamouring for the return of our peace-loving monarch who was forced to relocate to Abeokuta after he was attacked by hoodlums loyal to some disgruntled elements in our community.
“The return of Oba Akanni would restore the confidence of majority of indigenes who are being traumatised by the absence of the monarch, because no progress has been recorded in our community so far.”
Breaking his silence penultimate Friday at a secret location in Abeokuta where he has since relocated after the incident, Oba Akanni said: “As the traditional ruler of the town, I have forgiven all the perpetrators of the April 15, 2013 attack on me because they are all my subjects. “Those who are averse to my ascension to the throne are the ones fuelling perennial crisis in the community, but that does not mean that I should take them as my enemies.
“In fact, I have fruitlessly tried to pacify them so they can see reason and join hands with me to ensure peace and progress in Ado Odo. However, I am hopeful that they will soon have a rethink so that peace would return to the community before long.”
There was pandemonium at Banku Village in Warewa, Ifo Local Government of Ogun State at the weekend, when some unidentified persons invaded the community and chased residents out of their houses.
Landowners said the hoodlums, who they referred to as land grabbers, bounced on them and robbed them of their money and other valuables.
“Many landlords who were lucky fled while many who could not were battered and robbed of their phones and money,” they said.
A landlord, who pleaded for anonymity, said he was still at home when the hoodlums besieged the area.
“Immediately I sighted them, I hid in a nearby building, until I saw some police men in a bus.
“I came out thinking that the police have been alerted and they have come to our rescue.
“I managed to approach the bus only to discover that they accompanied the land grabbers to the site. They pursued me until I fell. There, they bounced on me, took N80,000 from my pocket and dispossessed me of two mobile phones. I was injured in the hand.”
He added that the police station in Ibafo was contacted and three persons arrested and moved to Eleweran Police command in Abeokuta.
Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said he needed to get some facts on the case. “I will still react when I get to Abeokuta,” he said.
It has been a tale of woes for residents of Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) Estate in Agbara, who have been battling dust-polluted environment, WALE AJETUNMOBI report.
Matthew Akinkugbe and his wife, Sarah, relocated to Ogun State last year after their wedding in Lagos. Their new-found abode is a three-bedroom bungalow in an estate developed by Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Agbara, Ogun State suburb on the border of Lagos.
A few months after the couple moved to the estate, Daniel, their first baby, was born.
But four months after his birth, Sarah watched her baby sneeze and cough heavily, and showed sign of inability to breathe properly. She screamed for help and baby Daniel was rushed to the hospital.
At the hospital, doctors carried out diagnosis on him and discovered that the baby had developed acute respiratory problem. The medical result, according to Sarah, showed that Daniel’s lungs had layers of dirt, resulting from excessive inhalation of dust-polluted air from the environment. How did dust find its way to the lungs of a four-month-old baby?
•The dusty road
The Akinkugbes are one of the households inhabiting Area 8 of the Agbara OPIC Estate, where residents are battling to save their lives from dust-infested environment. The dust wafts from non-asphalted road 411, which is the main thoroughfare stretching to the Area 8 flank of the estate from a well-asphalted Area 4, where high-profile politicians and civil servants live.
The condition of Road 411 is deplorable and it is becoming an eyesore to residents. This is because the road is now being used as alternative route by travellers’ vehicles and trailers to avoid craters and ditches on Agbara-Atan Expressway, which extends from Badagary Expressway to Agbara.
Southwest Report gathered that the terrible state of the Agbara-Atan Expressway, a federal road, is caused by trailers and trucks plying the route; the heavy-duty vehicles dug craters and gullies on the expressway. To avoid the crater-ridden highway, trucks and travellers’ vehicles used the non-asphalted Road 411 in the estate as alternative route to connect the smooth end of the Agbara-Atan Highway at the industrial layout of the estate.
As they pass through the estate, the vehicles, which are always on high speed, leave a thick pall of red dust in their trail. The dust pollutes the environment even after the vehicle has long gone. The dust-filled air is deposited on the walls and louvers of houses.
Blazing Glory Academy, a private primary school on the Road 411, has its wall and painting defaced by the thick dust.
When Southwest Report visited the school penultimate week, its louvers, doors, walls and classrooms were all covered in red dust. Some of the pupils coughed intermittently. Some had nose masks strapped to their faces; others used white handkerchiefs to cover their nostrils and mouths. The school staff moved round the classrooms to mop the walls and louvers.
The Headmaster of the school Mr Segun Bayode, said the situation was becoming worrisome, saying it has become a routine in the school for members of staff to mop the wall and classrooms every two hours. But the constant cleaning of the classrooms could not stop parents from withdrawing their children because of the health problem posed by the pollution.
Bayode said some pupils had left the school with life-threatening ailments, noting that he would not blame parents who withdrew their children/wards.
He said: “Dust covers everywhere you turn to. We mop the louvers and classrooms every two hours to ensure our pupils are not suffocated by the dust-filled atmosphere. I have never lived in this kind of polluted environment before. Even in villages where there are no asphalted roads, the situation is not as bad as what we experience in this estate.
“Already, we are losing pupils because parents are withdrawing their children from the school. I know how many pupils who have been hospitalised in the last two months for asthma and other breathing problems. We are not animals; Governor Ibikunle Amosun should not continue to watch us to die because we are not influential people.”
Endless complaints
As a result of the bad nature of the highway and activities of officials of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who allegedly cash in on the situation to exhort money from motorists, trailers and other heavy-duty vehicles shun the expressway and pass through the residential area of the estate.
This development is raising a concern among residents, who said their children are not safe, even to play on the streets again.
“Between 8:00 a.m. and noon, high-speeding buses and trailers exert pressure on Road 411, “Pastor Idowu Alebiosu, Chairman of Residents’ Association of OPIC Estate (RAOPIC) in Area 8 said.
Continuing, he said:: “At times, you can count up to 150 vehicles traversing Road 411 a day; all trying to dodge the craters and road safety officers on the highway. This usually leads to gridlock that could last six hours. The care-free drivers blow dust into our rooms as they pass through the estate. We cannot open our windows to get fresh air during the day. Our children cannot walk freely on the road because of the vehicles that are usually on speeding. Our lives are endangered because the estate road has been practically turned to another highway.”
Besides, residents said there has been a steady encroachment on the buffer zone. Filling stations and gas depots are being erected within the residential area, thereby endangering the lives of the people.
Residents further said they had made several representations at the OPIC office, adding that nothing has been done by the officials to alleviate their suffering. The hapless inhabitants accused the corporation of breaching the agreement it reached with them with regard to the use of the residential area.
Rising cases of asthma and respiratory illness
Deposits of red dust are common sight on houses in the area. Walls and gates have been defaced. Residents, who forgot to shut their doors and windows while the polluted air blow would have whiff of dust to inhale.
The exposure to dust-filled environment has resulted in growing cases of asthma and other respiratory illnesses among the residents.
Rock of Ages Hospital located on the Road 411 has become a Mecca of sorts for residents battling with asthma-related ailments. The Chief Medical Personnel of the hospital, Dr Adekunle Babaniyi, said no fewer than 10 people were admitted weekly for various illnesses resulting from the polluted environment. Common illness, he said, include severe sneezing, asthma, dyspnea, allergy, sore eyes and respiratory tract blockage.
Most of the patients admitted for asthma and dyspnea treatment, the doctor said, are mainly children between ages seven and 16 years. Babaniyi, whose hospital was also covered by dust, said scores had been given referral to specialist hospitals. He warned against dire health crisis in the neighbourhood if government does nothing to stop the pollution.
He said: “The state government seems to have neglected the estate and shows no concern to the well-being of the people living here. We are having a growing health hazard in this part of the estate because the air people breathe in is saturated with dust. Many people are now showing symptoms of various illnesses, which include asthma and trachea blockage.
“Just two days ago, two young siblings were discharged after days of admission for asthma-related sickness. Their mother had recently passed on. This is the extent to which residents have been made to suffer because of the terrible state of roads in the estate and the polluted air. I want you to go round the Area 8 to see how ill-health is taking toll on the people. This situation must be urgently addressed to prevent outbreak of uncontrollable health crisis.”
Mrs Isi Okwuadi, a resident battling with asthma, said she has become drug-dependent because of the long hours she is exposed to dust-polluted air. She could barely utter words clearly when this reporter met her. She had sore throat. With her croaky voice, Mrs Okwuadi said she moves about with sachets of piriton and prednisolone tablets to control her allergies to the condition.
“I am permanently on piriton and prednisolone in order to control my body reaction to the contaminated environment. If you open my bag, you would see the drugs. Any day I fail to use the drugs, I would experience crisis. The situation has made me to be drug-dependent; it was not like this when I moved into the estate with my husband in 2010,” she said.
Counting losses
Residents whose means of livelihood is being destroyed by the dense dust are counting losses. Traders and business centres in the residential area have closed down because of the thick dust. Landlords also complained about their vacant houses which could not be given out for let because of the situation.
Madam Atinuke Atoyebi had a flourishing cement business in front of her three-bedroom bungalow located on the Road 411. When the dust problem started in November last year, she sought the daily service of a menial job worker to help mop her shop and clean the products of dust. After a period of exposure to the dust, the menial worker stopped coming. Madam Atoyebi also took ill, leaving her cement shop closed down for more than five months.
After she recovered from a breathe-related illness, Madam Atoyebi said she left the dusty environment to stay with her son in Lagos, vowing not return until the road is asphalted and dust cleared. “I was hospitalised three times in January. Why have we been left to suffer this much in an estate whose land was sold by the government?” she asked.
Bayode said there has been mass withdrawal of pupils from the Blazing Glory Academy since the dust problem started. In April, the principal said parents came en masse to withdraw their pupils because of health concern. Despite the efforts of the school management to prevent dust from taking a toll on the premises and the classrooms, Bayode said many parents are unwilling to enrol their children to the school except the dust is cleared.
“Some parents have withdrawn their children and many are considering doing the same because of the dust. This is the challenge we have been coping with in the last four months. Since we have not had assurance from the OPIC officials or government on when they will tar the dusty road, there is a possibility that no pupil will resume after the third term holiday,” a female teacher, who pleaded anonymity because she didn’t want to be identified told our reporter.
A livestock trader, Mrs Titilayo Onabolu, has not stopped counting losses since the problem started. “I had to sell off my chickens at give-away prices after three of them died in one swoop. I cannot return to my shop to do business because of the dust which has made life difficult for me and my family,” she said.
Rain to the rescue
Many of the residents were happy that the rainy season has come. They thought that the coming of rainy period would bring relief to their woes, since it will dampen the dust. But, that only reduced the pall of dust in the air; the rain engendered another problem for the residents–their homes are flooded whenever it rains.
•A flooded road around the estate
The Area 8 is flood-prone because of lack of drainage system. All inner roads in the area become impassable after downpour. Besides, some residents whose houses are not raised beyond the road level would be preoccupied with scooping out of flood water from their living rooms whenever it rains.
An early-morning downpour penultimate Wednesday prevented Mr Obawaeki Ehizoje, a lecturer at the Ogun State Institute of Technology, from going to work. His compound was heavily flooded after the rain. He had to stay at home.
Lamenting the situation, Ehizoje, who has lived in the estate for three years, said it was the second time his house would be flooded in two weeks.
He said: “Imagine what would happen to my family when the rain reaches its peak in August. The whole house is cracking up and the fence can pull down any moment. I have been living in this estate for three years now and there has been no effort whatsoever to construct drainage system despite that flooding is another challenge we face here. The situation is worrisome because our lives are being threatened each day. If it is not dust, then it would be flood. The state government must come to our rescue before the situation gets out of control.”
Increasing accident and crime rate
Residents said they have been at the mercy of petty robbers and burglars since the estate roads became alternative routes for commercial vehicles and trailers. They also said accidents have become frequent.
Some 10 months ago, Dr Babaniyi said there was no record of accident in the estate. The accident rate, he said, has increased because of the over-speeding by commercial motorcycle operators (okada) and petrol-tanker drivers.
He said: “We recently had fatal accident involving a trailer and four okada riders. Such incident was not common in the estate before our roads were opened for all comers. The menace of over-speeding vehicles is becoming worrisome, because some residents have been knocked down in the process.”
Mrs Bola Jones, a resident, said her neighbour was robbed at gun point in the estate by two men on motorcycle. The incident, she said, occurred when the victim was returning from work at 8:30 p.m.
While several complaints have been made to the OPIC Estate Police Station in Area 4 about the growing wave of crimes, residents accused the police of not taking drastic action to fish out the criminals. The Nation gathered that police usually complain of not having adequate vans to patrol the area. Residents also alleged that some of the criminals caught for burglary are released by police after collecting money from them.
The residents’ effort
Residents said attention of OPIC officials has been drawn to their plight through their association but nothing has been done so far to ameliorate the situation.
The General Manager at OPIC office in the estate, Mr Taiwo Aridegbe, allegedly told the troubled residents that nothing could be done to prevent the heavy-duty trucks and commercial vehicles to pass through the estate.
Given the lackadaisical attitude of the officials to their predicament, some of the residents are threatening to resort to self-help. But, RAOPIC President, Pastor Afolabi Ibinayo, urged for calm, promising to meet Amosun on the matter.
Aridegbe said the corporation won’t stop commercial vehicles from passing through the estate. “Why should people have an estate and they don’t want commercial vehicles to ply its roads?” Aridegbe said when Southwest Report spoke to him penultimate Friday.
Asked why the corporation has not fixed roads in the Area 8 despite payment of development levy by residents, Aridegbe said: “I want to confirm to you that there are ongoing construction projects in the estate but I cannot give you more information on the project. I oblige you to talk to our Director of Public Relations for details.”
Fear has gripped residents of Elerinko Estate in Ijoko-Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State following a letter written to them by suspected armed robbers.
The armed robbers, according to residents, promised to visit them.
They appealed yesterday to Police Commissioner Ikemefuna Okoye to provide them with adequate security.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi the development, saying adequate measures have been put in place to secure the lives and properties of the people.
According to Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said: “ The CP has acted on it.”
Bats by their nature are neither rats nor birds, a characteristic considered mischievous by the Yoruba in Southwest, Nigeria. So one can imagine what the reaction would be to the presence of bats in their thousands living among humans.
This is exactly the situation in Erunbe village in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, where residents have been cohabiting with bats for decades but without any major health or spiritual consequences.
The ancient community, some few distance from the State Hospital, Ijaiye, has been in existence for over a century. The people whose ancestors were hunters and farmers from Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba in the present day state of Osun, still retain the culture of their forebears.
The seedy neighbourhood is in a way friendly with animals and particularly bats. Often times, bats stray into their homes, give out indistinct sound that constitute noise and they had to cope with all of these, aside the not so pleasant odour from their routine droppings and vomits on rooftops, playgrounds and on the sorrounding below their roost area.
First time visitors to the community from another clime are always shocked at the sight of bats in their thousands which audaciously take shelter on the branches and trunk of an Iroko tree that is said to have provided the villagers shade for ages on sunny days.
For decades they had co-habited with the mammals and the bat too had enjoyed the hospitality of the residents of the area even though they are occasionally preyed upon as source of animal protein while some complained that their presence in a residential area could pose health risk to humans.
The Nation on its first visit to the community observed a young man dissecting a bat he had hunted in preparation for a soup of bats and was instructing a girl of about five years old to wash the medium size aluminum pot adjacent to him in readiness for the soup making. Apparently, the slaughtered bat would serve as meat on the menu of the family’s dinner that night.
A move to find out how a delicacy of bat taste from the man hit a brick wall as he scared off the reporter with a stern look.
Another man also pointed out a bat that hung-dried on a PHCN cable/wire that supplied light to a building within the community. The bat, he said, was electrocuted a week earlier while trying to get to its roost on the Iroko tree.
Tracing how the bats came to settle in the area, the traditional head and Aro of Erunbe community, Chief Lemoboye Sojobi, told The Nation that about thirty years ago, they woke up one day to see the mammals in their thousands on the lone Iroko tree in the neighbourhood and that all were initially terrified.
For a culture that persecute bats and paint it in a bad light, he said the community met and deliberated on what to do in respect of the mystery visitors – bats.
He said a team was raised which consulted an Ifa Priest and his Oracle to ascertain if the coming of the bats portend something toward to the community.
According him, the Oracle told them not to drive their visitors away, that their presence in the community would signpost “peace, prosperity and increase the number migrating into Erunbe.”
He said bats are “wonderful” animals and possess some innate esoteric power. He said residents don’t deliberately hunt them for food but wait for rainy season when they normally roost (cluster) in large numbers on the tree trunk and branches.
According to him, when they cluster on such tree trunks and branches, the load becomes too heavy for the tree to bear and the branch or trunk eventually breaks, thereby spilling the bats in their hundreds onto the ground for easy pick or killing by the people.
Apparently to highlight the mysterious or mystical nature of the bats, the community head who spoke through an interpreter recalled that few years ago, some youths who attempted to hunt down a cluster/roosts of bats with a local gun had a bitter experience.
He explained that the chamber of the gun burst when they aimed and shot on the mammals, and bullets that exited backward injured them. However, the peace of the bats in Erunbe was momentarily disrupted for days in the last quarter of 2013 when another group of bats from a nearby settlement attempted to join them as roost mates but they were resisted in a manner that resulted in frequent bats-fight.
The intruder – bats were originally roosting on a giant tree adjacent to Ile–Ogboni Ijeun along Sapon -Ijeun road, but they were evicted when the tree housing them was cut down by the government to give way to the on-going road expansion project in the Gateway State.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that the bats in Erunbe village did not drop from the sky. They were formerly living in a colony many decades ago at the abandoned premises of the Anglican Church, Oke-Igbein which formerly hosted a secondary school and the Teaching Hospital of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Following the occupation of the premises by FUNAAB and subsequent felling of the trees there, the bats scattered in different directions in search of new abode. While some settled in Erunbe community, others relocated to Imo village, where they settled on a 100years-old tree called Ogburugburu opposite late Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s one storey building along NEPA (PHCN) road, Imo, Abeokuta.
At Imo, the bats there are not only guarded jealously by the residents not only because of their sheer population running into 7,000 and more, but also for the regular traffic of visitors to their abode.
Alhaji Olajire Isiaq, who guided the reporter to the site, said people from different places visit there frequently to hunt the bats for reasons ranging from academic research, source of animal protein to religious sacrifice, saying the animals have been living in Imo community for over two decades now.
Isiaq said: “The animals have been here for well over 20 years, they were more in number before because we had lots of trees here and they took abode on the trees but when the trees were cut off by the University of Agriculture when they operated from here, the bats came to settle here.
“The trees were in the compound of the UNAAB school but when they cut the trees the bats scattered.
People come here to look for them either for food, religious purpose while other came for research. They harvest it with gun, basket or native power. People pay to get it.”
Also, Mr Nureni Aminu, a member of Imo community, said some people pay as much as N5,000:00 to have access to hunt the animal.
But experts are saying bats could be carriers of pathogenic organisms and some could be rabid. And if attacked, bats could bite and claw at the attacker/hunter in self -defence.
However, there has been no report yet of bat bite on residents either at Erunbe or Imo, or their presence linked to any health challenge in the two communities, but the experts insist man can get rabies not only from dogs but also from bats which may prove fatal if untreated.
Dr Lawal Olusegun Adebayo of the Applied Zoology and Plant Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, who noted that bats are found in most part of the country nay the world, said aside rabies, human beings could also contact a lung disease called Histoplasmosis characterised by shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain and coughing.
Adebayo said: “The reason you find them (bats) in residential areas now is because of migration resulting from decimation of their habitats – by man and civilisations and that they move in colony. When they are disturbed, they migrate to another location in search of shelter”.
One may be afflicted with the disease when one inhales spores produced by the Histoplama fungus. Areas that contains bat droppings may carry larger percentage of the fungi organism that causes the disease.
The Community Centre Complex ground was filled to its capacity. Royal fathers and traditional chiefs of different grades were present with their beads dangling on their necks. Students from various schools were on the parade ground. The Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade, Man O’War members and the Red Cross Society all displayed their dexterity as they marched and gave military salute.
Secondary and primary schools students were not left out .Market women from various market associations displayed their banners as the local hunters’ guns boomed intermittently to the excitement of spectators. Major-General Odunsi (rtd) went ahead to drill the Man O’ War.
To add colour to the occasion, the Balogun (Generalissimo) of Ijebu Imusin, Chief Adesegun Adebayo rode on a horse round the field to herald the coming of their monarch.
The arrival of Oba Stephen Adedeji Onafowokan Ojafadego II, the Oloko of Imusin caused a stir as there was thunderous ovation that shook the ground, literally.
After the singing of the Nigerian national anthem, the Ijebu -Imusin anthem was also recited. Again, students from various schools performed in Yoruba cultural dances as they exhibited Yoruba culture amid loud ovation. Some of the thrilled spectators showered Naira notes on them. It was a great day indeed.
This was at the occasion of the historic 69th anniversary of Ijebu-Imusin Day which was held recently in the ancient town.
The festival is geared towards the socio-economic development of the community through well-articulated entertaining and fund-raising activities such as worshipping in churches, mosques, football matches, educational competitions, march past , baby show, distribution of prizes and awards , I kokoro /suya night , carnival and cultural/wara dances were regular features at the week-long anniversary.
The rally was well attended as visitors from all walks of life were present. The organisers also provided medical personnel who provided free medical services and free drugs for invited guests and members of the community.
Speaking at the occasion, the monarch said: “It is always necessary to remind ourselves that the Ijebu Imusin annual rally or Ajodun Omo Olumusin is a special occasion carefully thought out and founded by our forebears for all Ijebu Imusin sons and daughters to celebrate ourselves as a people irrespective of age, religious differences, place of birth, social class or status, political affiliation or economic status…”
In his welcome address, the facilitator of the programme, Gen. S. A. Odunsi (rtd) thanked them all present, even as he reeled off the achievements of the community.
He said: “We are having with us today in this arena, children of the community who, in the past, enjoyed scholarships to study medicine in the university and are now medical doctors .In order to give back to the community that helped them in times of the needs, they are, in turn today, paying back by offering free medical services to the people of Ijebu –Imusin,” he continued as he implored his kinsmen to embrace the ongoing debate and contribute to the National Conference.
His words: “Let me seize the opportunity to remind you of the national conference. This is a programme that gives us an opportunity to participate in deciding not only our future but also the future of our children. Please, do not fail to maximise the opportunity.”
In his speech, Oba Stephen Adedeji Onafowokan Ojafadego II, the Oloko of Imusin pleaded with his townsmen to continue the good work.
Recipients of awards were presented plaques in appreciation of their contributions to the development of the community.
Among them are Evangelist Timothy Oludele Kuyoro ,Venerable S. Bayo Odukoya, Mrs. K.K Okonghae (former Principal of Federal Science and Technical College , Ijebu -Imusin), Chief (Mrs.) Banjo Mama London (the Otun Iyaloja of Ijebu -Imusin) and a host of others.
Students were given monetary awards while books were given to many of them.
Speaking on the awards, Odukoya thanked the monarch and the community.
He said he had served in many places before retiring home (Ijebu -Imusin). He added that he never expected the award.
His words: “I never expected the awards. I am very grateful to the Oloko and the kinsmen who found it worthy to crown our efforts with these prestigious awards. I pray to God for the continuity of this programme.”
Evangelist Kuyonu described the occasion as a great one. ‘I feel elated. This award inspires me to do more for the community. I have served in various capacities and in many communities but this one is a great one, I must confess,” he said.
Chief Femi Ogunnede who is the Magbo of Odomagbo said he came back from the United States of America in order to meet up with the programme.
“I said I must attend this year’s rally. I hardly miss it.” On the awards, he said: “Giving out these awards and plaques is in the right track. The event is a big one and it would be on record for the unborn generation to see what their parents had contributed to the community.
A Christian non-governmental organisation, New World Missions and Help Foundation, in collaboration with Jason Health Corps of the University College Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan has organised a three-day free Medicare and advisory services for residents of Kenge Village, a rural community in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The programme began with evangelism, prayer, and deliverance services. At the end of the programme, over 300 residents of the community underwent tests to ascertain their sugar level, blood pressure, HIV and AIDS.
Medical experts from Jason Foundation conducted the tests and also enlightened the residents on the importance of blood donation, safe water for healthy living, even as free drugs were provided for them.
Also, food, clothes, shoes and other materials were distributed to the residents.
The Baale of Kenge Village, Mr. Solomon Aina who; on behalf of the beneficiaries of the exercise, expressed his gratitude to the initiator of the foundations for remembering them. He noted that many prominent people who are in positions of authority have regarded the residents as “forgotten ones.”
The octogenarian also noted that the exercise has touched the lives of people in the community, adding that the benefits of the free medical treatment can never be over-emphasised. He disclosed that many of the community members have suffered from high blood pressure for more than 10 years without knowing how to manage the ailment.
He described the session as revealing, saying he was exposed to better ways of managing his Christian life and health condition.
Another member of the community, Mr. Omonigbehin Babatunde, who claimed to have been residing in the village for over 10 years, stated that he had been a diabetes patient. He hinted that apart from the medical advice he received, he was also given drugs to treat the ailment.
On why the foundation embarked on the mission, President of the New World Missions and Help Foundation, Rev. Nnamdi Stanley Ekwerelam said God had given him the vision since 13 years ago with the mandate to help the rural dwellers who are not reached and have been abandoned by the government.
He explained that the mission has reached out to many communities in more than six states like Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara. He added that the initiative receives supports from doctors, churches, teachers and others.
“There are no hospital, school, electricity, road in these communities. Although it is the responsibility of government to provide them with these essentials of life, the government cannot do it alone. It is our primary objective to preach the gospel and provide them with other of their needs. The foundation has also helped in giving education to more than 15 students who had no hope of receiving quality education,” Ekwerelam said.
He further explained that he started a school in Ido Local Government Area in 2008 for the people. The school, he said, which started with five children in an old house donated by the Baale of the town now has 110 pupils.
Continuing, he said: “Our challenges are quite enormous. They range from funding, transportation and spiritual attacks. We are appealing to the government for assistance in terms of funds and building of a modern structure, good road and sinking of borehole in Ido Local Government Area.”
In a chat with Newsextra, the leader of the Jason Foundation medical team from UCH, Mr. Ojo Oluwaseun said the two organisations decided to enter into partnership when it was discovered that many rural dwellers in the country lack access to good Medicare.
He added that many Nigerians in the rural areas are suffering from many ailments and have little knowledge on how to handle their health status, which often result in death or permanent deformity.
Oluwaseun said: “Over 100 of the villagers have received free treatment, tests, and drugs, while free glasses will also be given out to them. Some with intensive ailment will be referred to UCH for further treatment and we will foot their bills.”
He therefore advised public office holders to always endeavour to fulfill their campaign promises by giving back to the people they represent.
