TO promote good governance and growth, a non-governmental organisation, Information Aid Network, has presented a book on Oyo communities.
The project, Village Book, is designed to provide data for investors in agriculture, culture and tourism and education.
The book, which covers communities such as Isale Togun, Oke Otun and Maya in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of the state, was launched recently.
The presentation brought together community heads (Bales), local government chairman and other stakeholders.
The Village Book details women rights and other vital areas in rural development. From this, the communities have brought to the fore areas of needs for development, which they have started working on to improve the lives and standards of their people through community efforts.
The initiative is supported by Action Aid, Information Aid network. Media support was offered bya voluntary partner Cowry Arts Foundation.
More communities in Saki West Council Area of Oyo State are being deserted by residents following reports that nearby communities suffered earth tremors during the week. The Nation learnt that residents on Wednesday abandoned their homes in panic following reported earth tremors at Koomi, Medina, Balako, Salam Salam as well as , Dauru-Salam communities in Saki, Oyo State.
According to reports, residents fled the communities out of fear of the likelihood of earthquake as the noise being heard from beneath the earth surface was frightening. Shakiru Adelabu, a furniture maker based in Balako, one of the affected communities, said the noise didn’t start recently, it has been on the increase in the past days. He added that the persistent noise from below the earth surface had led to the departure of a good number of people from Balako and Medina, where the tremor is most noticeable.
“We have been hearing the frightening sound for a while now but it became louder during the week and § lot of people decided to relocate out of fear. Some people came from the city to take their people away and they told us it could be an earthquake coming. This made more people to pack their things. The tremor is really frightening and nothing has been done to stop it,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker of Oyo State who is an indigene of one of the communities in the area, Hon. Musa Abdulwasiu, raised an alarm during the week, calling on the state and federal agencies to help profer solution to the tremor. While assuring the people that help will come, he appealed to relevant authorities to act fast to forestal possible dangers.
“ I have been to the affected areas with very senior members of the Geology Department from University of Ibadan. They hinted that there is likelihood of heavy movement of rocks in the water channel beneath the ground in those affected areas. They also advised that evacuation of residents of affected areas is the only solution to tremor and possible earthquake after establishing degree of tremor. Honestly, they told us that no one could ascertain for now the degree of the tremor and whether it will lead to earthquake or not,” he said.
But the Oyo State Government has assured residents that efforts were on to avert environmental hazards. Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Chief Isaac Ishola gave the assurance while monitoring the areas affected by an earth tremor in Saki-West Local Government area. He explained that the visit was on-the-spot assessment to ascertain the earth tremor that occurred in some parts of the town and to proffer solutions to forestall the occurrence of natural disaster in the area.
He noted that findings by experts indicated that the earth tremor was a fore-shake, which was not capable of causing the earthquake. Ishola said the state government would liaise with the Federal Government to procure the seismic machine needed to check the gravity of tremor.
But in spite of the assurances, more communities are being deserted in the area as residents of neighboring communities, out of fear, are also leaving their abode to seek safer accommodations farther away from the tremor.
Consequently, communities like Afote, Oba Abimbola, Oke Suna, Ahere Oloke, Aroje and Elegede are daily losing their residents to the ongoing exodus. Spaeking to The Nation about the growing migration, Hon. Jamiu Abdulrasheed, a retired teacher resident in Aroje, said the migration is largely caused by unconfirmed reports that some of the experts who visited the place advised the government to evacuate the people because of a looming danger.
“We are hearing different types of reports. People are spreading a rumor that some of the experts who visited the place advised the government to evacuate the people because of a looming danger. That is why people are running away. But I learnt that our own communities here are not affected. Anyway, I will wait until relevant agencies come here to tell me to move my family,” he said.
In about two months, six commercial motorcyclists have been murdered in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. They are allegedly killed by criminals who posed as customers, OSEHEYE OKWUOFU reports.
Of late, no fewer than six motorcycle operators popularly called okada riders have allegedly been killed by criminals who camouflage as customers. This is a recent phenomenon since the introduction of commercial motorcycle popularly known as okada as one of the means of transportation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Many people prefer boarding it to commercial buses and taxis. Their reason for its preference is its ability to ply narrow spaces, beat traffic and fastness. Added to these reasons is the joy of cool breeze that calms the nerves, especially during hot weather.
Notwithstanding its high rate of accidents, young and old see okada business as quick source of daily income, until recently when the operators became fear struck over the killings of members by armed men who thrive on okada theft.
Dotted many roads in the city are shocking discoveries of lifeless bodies, with severed limbs or heads in some cases.
A recent case was the discovery of a headless body in cold blood at Bembo Apata and a lifeless body with severed limbs at Bakatari areas of Ibadan. The two were commercial motor cycle operators who lost their okada and precious lives to robbers who boarded the motorcycles only to snatch them from the owners after killing them.
According to Mr. Taiwo Adisa, a commercial motorcycle operator who was at the scene of the discovery of the headless body at Bembo, Apata area of Ibadan, the victim was murdered in the early morning of the fateful day by his passenger who robbed him of his motorcycle and other belongings.
The victim, identified as a mechanic, used his okada to make brisk money early in the morning before going to his workshop.
“We saw him in his pool of blood there with cuts all over his body. The head was not there but some of his friends who are also okada operators were able to identify him through the clothes he wore.
“The okada has been snatched from him and maybe in the cause of struggling with his attacker and of course, knowing that if he escapes, he could identify him, the ‘passenger’ killed him. We have witnessed many cases like that when the passenger would suddenly turn to a robber and made away with the okada. And if the okada operator is lucky, he escapes unhurt, but if not, he might lose both his life and the okada.
“The case involving the mechanic was very pathetic and shocking as it is unfortunate. In fact, our union has recently alerted members to be vigilant by not taking passengers to secluded places and deserted and quiet roads. We have a long list of cases of okada theft and killings.
It is so frightening now that some operators are considering leaving the business as a result of fear of their dear lives,” Adisa said.
The police as at the time of filing this report have no clue on the gruesome killings and theft.
At Apata Police Station where the case was being handled, the police said investigation into the murder was ongoing.
A police officer at the station who confided with this reporter said the body has since been deposited at the state hospital mortuary, Ring Road, Ibadan.
•Agaba
The murder of Job Agaba, 31, on April 20, this year at Iyana Adeaga between Ilupeju and Orile areas of Ibadan is still fresh in the minds of residents of Bakatari. His dead body was sighted in a bush by a team of searchers at 7:00 p.m. the next day.
Our correspondent learnt that four other okada operators narrowly escaped death on the same spot where Agaba was murdered. They lost their motor cycles to the robbers.
Agaba, a native of Adiko in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State was described as a gentle and a loving husband who got married two months before he was mauled down by his assailants who made away with his okada.
Daniel, a younger brother to Job narrated how his deceased brother left home and never returned.
“He used to ply Apata to Omi Adio to Bakatari route. He left home early morning of April 20, this year to work with his okada which was not up to two weeks when he bought it. We were all happy that morning, his wife, I and other members of the family had a good time. By 6:00 p.m., the time he usually returns from work, he was not at home.
“So, his wife started feeling unsettled and by 8:00 p.m. after all attempts to get him through his phone failed, we knew something has happened to him because it is not in his character to stay out late without calling his wife. That night, we could not sleep. We were busy contacting his friends, town’s people in Ibadan and some close friends. The wife could not sleep throughout the night even though people around were consoling and assuring her that nothing bad happened to her husband.
•Agaba’s father
“The next day, a search party went out looking for him. It was around 7:00 p.m. when they told us that his body was found at Adeaga area of Bakatari. We were shattered by the news and till now we cannot compose ourselves,” he said.
Since the case was reported at Apata Police Station, no arrest has been made in connection with the murder.
The robbers have been described as a threat to the communities. A traditional ruler of the community, Balogun Olomi of Omi, Chief Mukaila Adebayo admitted that some reports have been lodged about the activities of the criminals who specialise in robbing and killing innocent people in the area. He listed the killing of Agaba and other three okada theft.
“ I even heard that the deceased has been taken to his home town for burial. We got other two reports at Omi Adio and one at Bakatari where these people snatched okada from their owners. We have been educating okada operators to be vigilant and report any suspicious individual immediately to the police,” he said.
The traditional ruler of Bakatari, the Olu of Bakatari, Chief Yekini Ajagbe Ayodele urged law enforcement agents to mount surveillance on the areas where the cases were reported.
On the part of the community, the traditional ruler explained that a monitoring team has been raised in addition to a vigilance group to track down the perpetrators of the heinous crime and ensure that they bring the killers of Agaba to justice.
He noted other pockets of cases of okada snatching and continued assaults on the operators.
We are not happy with the activities of these criminals; we want to sleep with our two eyes closed. We have asked people to help keep vigil at the scene where the criminals hide to commit this crime. We want to support the police as they make effort to flush out the perpetrators and ensure that the areas are safe for our people,” the traditional ruler said.
As the people and the police collaborate to thwart the plan of the criminals, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu assured the communities that all those involved in criminal activities would not go unpunished.
Rural communities in Oyo State are witnessing infrastructural renewal, thanks to the state’s Community and Social Development Agency (OYCSDA).
Working in partnership with the local governments and host communities, OYCSDA has initiated a total of 233 micro-projects spanning provision of electricity, water, health centres and road repairs to rehabilitation of schools and rehabilitation of markets.
Speaking to Newsextra, the chairman of OYCSDA, Mr Busari Jelili, disclosed that 45 of the projects have already been completed, pointing out that the projects would cut across 39 communities in various locations in the state.
He said:” Quite a large number of schools, health centres, roads and electricity generation have been constructed to ease the suffering of the people, while other projects are on-going. We are still planning to do more in the state, that other people will benefit from our projects”.
While the projects are the idea of the various communities, they are being funded by OYCSDA and local governments and monitored by the communities.
In Ogbomosho North Local Government, over N8 million was used to support several communities by the agency.
In Katangua, also in the local government, an ultra-modern health centre was constructed in addition to the provision of 55 concrete electricity poles. The agency also undertook rehabilitation of roads and drilling of two boreholes
The secretary of the Project Monitoring Committee in the community, Mr Muraina Kilani, disclosed that the community had been in total darkness for over 15 years until 2011 when OYSCDA came to its rescue when leaders of the community approached them to help. Kilani said that they received help in the areas of construction of a school, primary health care centre, and provision of electricity transformer with poles.
For the projects, Kilani explained that the agency supported them with N3.5 million while the local government and the community contributed N500,000 and the N5.5 Million respectively. The huge sum was used to accomplish the projects. They consist of a primary health centre, a transformer , 55 electricity poles and rehabilitation of a 2 kilometer road in the community.
Also, in Iwagba community, the agency is working on a number of projects which include provision of electricity, drilling of boreholes and road rehabilitation.
The Chairman of the Project Committee, Mr Oyetunde Oyeleke, said that the communities had been battling with numerous challenges before OYSCSDA came to their rescue.
Oyeleke said their letter was approved in 2011, adding that the agency assisted them with a sum of N3.9 million for the installation and procurement of a transformer while the council supported them with N500, 000 and the community provided N21,000.
His words:” We thought that was over until we were called again to collect another N684,000 for the drilling of boreholes and was supported with the N177,000 the community contributed. We are very grateful to them and the local council. We are appealing to the state government and local government to tar our road instead of grading it because it is just a waste of money because it gets washed away by flood”
Several other projects are being undertaken by the agency in other local governments across the state.
