The Awori community in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State has established the Foundation for Economic and Development Initiatives (FECODEIN).
The foundation, an initiative of the Olota of Ota, HRM Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, is to alleviate the suffering of the masses among the Awori-speaking people.
Unlike what obtained in time past, the monarch said it is high time traditional rulers championed the campaign against hunger and poverty to reduce crime and other social vices in their domains.
He said: “We, as custodians of culture and traditional authorities that are closest to the people, should take off some of the pains by supporting infrastructural development, wealth creation or what people call poverty alleviation, and providing necessary assistance to make our people employers of labour or for them to be self-employed.”
The event came on the heels of the annual Iganmode Day, a historic event celebrated by the Awori.
Going down memory lane, the monarch, a Professor of Mass Communication, said since he mounted the throne last year, he realised there was a lacuna between the rich and poor.
He said the development had further heightened security challenges in the communities.
To address the development, the monarch said he convened a think tank, which culminated in the establishment of FECODEIN.
Oba Obalanlege said funds realised by the foundation would be managed by a Board of Trustees (BoT) which would disburse same as revolving loans to interested indigenes planning to set up small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).
Revolving loans, he noted, provide liquidity for a company’s day-to-day operations; offer debt protection; make loan repayment faster and flexible and make the loanee able to transfer funds from revolving loan transaction to transaction account once a loanee realised minimum percentage to be paid back.
“We need to halt the drift and depopulate the growing class vagabonds, ‘area father’s’ who now constitute a social menace because of the need for survival. We must educate and empower them to discard their shameful vices. They, like us, know what it is like to have no hope, no path to a better life.”
On how FECODEIN could be maximised, the guest speaker, Prof Idris Ayinde of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), urged the Awori to work with the Lagos State government for more socio-economic development.
He said from history, 75 per cent of Lagos settlers were the Awori, adding that this would further open up a symbiotic relationship between Lagos and the Awori to develop the social and economic potential of the latter.
Idris urged the Awori to be proud of their root and do away with infighting and disunity.
According to him, these are factors that led to backwardness of the Awori over the years.
He noted that from Ikeja to Isolo down to Awori land in Ota have become commercial hubs, yet with bad roads, non-standard schools, irregular power supply and other amenities.
Ayinde praised the Oloto for launching FECODEIN, describing it as a starting point towards addressing some of the aforementioned challenges.
“Despite all these challenges, I believe FECODEIN is a fantastic initiative that will take the people of Awori to the Promised Land,” he said.
The convener of the summit, Dr Michael Olawale Cole, described it as strategic due to the determination of the Olota to lift the Awori out of squalor via FECODEIN.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of plaques/cash prizes to outstanding science students in public schools in Ota.
There was also a presentation of awards to guests and corporate bodies, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Founder of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), among others.
