When I conceived of the idea to write this piece, I struggled a lot, trying to settle for a perfect heading.
I toyed with several options before settling for the heading which I called: ” what the ignorant don’t know”.
A lot of people are ignorant about how Governor Seyi Makinde, Debo Ogundoyin, some members of the self appointed ” Eruwa Elders Council”, the Eruwa Youth Movement and those who still see themselves as the ” Eleruwa in Council” conspired to give away the 4,000 hectares Eruwa Farm Settlement to foreigners.
This set of people are also the ones who conspired to sell the New Eruwa Cashew Plantation to Governor Seyi Makinde’s Chief of staffs.
You will wonder why I refer to some people as ” those who see themselves as the Eleruwa in Council”.
I will explain what I mean. By my character, having studied the nature of some of our our people in Eruwa, I have refrained myself from making public comments about certain issues.
However, I am constrained to depart from my principles concerning this particular matter because of the larger issue attached to their activities.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has made final pronouncements about the status of Mr. Samuel Adebayo Adegbola.
His nomination and appointment were declared null and void by the Supreme Court.
The simple interpretation of this pronouncement is that, as an Oba, he never existed. In clear terms, in the eyes of the Law, he was never an Oba and whatever he did officially, is also deemed null and void.
In other words, except we still have any of the Chiefs appointed by the late Oba Olaniyan alive, every other Chieftaincy appointments made by him is null and void in the face of the Law.
It is not my personal opinion. That is the Law. So, where did those who paraded themselves as the Eleruwa in Council got their authority from?
I hope they didn’t sign any documents as such. It’s going to be one of the surest reason to nullify the nonsense that happened three days ago because, you can’t build something on nothing.
Having said that, let me proceed to talk about why I consider some people as ignorant regarding the treachery packaged by Governor Makinde and Debo Ogundoyin as the Eruwa Agric hub.
I saw some young fellows celebrating the handing over of the Eruwa Farm Settlement to foreigners online.
I have taken time to categorize those celebrating the disaster.
Some are naive. Some are just doing so for political optics, some are comfortable because they’re not from Eruwa and wouldn’t care about the matter, yet, some of them genuinely believe it is a step that will bring development to the Community because they lack knowledge of History.
In the first place, none of those who, for one reason or the other felt that the project is good for Ibarapa has ever seen the partnership agreement Governor Makinde signed with those he has mortgaged the Settlement to.
Not even the outspoken Chairman of the Eruwa Elders Council can tell us the details of the partnership arrangements.
Is it an outright sale? Is it a lease? If it is a lease agreement, for how many years?
What is the fate of local settlers? What was negotiated to minimize their losses because, no inch of the Settlement is left for local Settlers.
In Communities where the interests of their people is paramount to them, this kind of issues are always subjected to scrutiny, consultations and opinion gathering so that in the end, concrete advantages and benefits are attracted to the Community.
In fact, concrete commitments ought to be extracted from those coming to take over the Settlement and agreement reached that certain percentages of management positions within the establishment would be conceded to sons and daughters of the host Community not that our people would just be employed as laborers alone.
In fact, those who negotiated in darkness to commit the evil called Eruwa Agric hub would have done themselves, the Community and their Legacies some good by insisting on giving just half of the Settlement away in the first instance, to allow for eventualities and unforseen circumstances.
Unfortunately, Chief Peluola, as Chairman of the Elders Council declared that ” gbogbo ilu ati awon Agbe to wa lori ile ti fi owo sii, e maa mu ile lo gbogbo ibi ti e ba fe”. ( The whole Community and the Settlers has approved and agreed that you take as much of the Land as you wanted).
When he was saying that, he knew he wasn’t saying the truth.
On the same front seat where he rose to make that declaration, a son of Eruwa, a Professor, who is also a Settler was appointed to present the position of the Settlers, which would have contradicted Chief Peluola’s declaration but himself and Debo, sensing dangers, colluded and prevented the Professor from speaking.
Secondly, when Chief Peluola said that the whole Community has approved that the Governor hands over the Settlement and take as much as he wanted, he knew that was also not true.
I am not aware that Chief Peluola or anyone for that matter, called a meeting of the Eruwa Community where it was discussed and agreed that the Eruwa Farm Settlement and the New Eruwa Cashew Plantation be sold.
If he called such a meeting, I challenge him to say when and where.
It has always been some meetings with Debo and representatives of Government in Ibadan and after the deal was struck, they came home to threaten the Settlers to submission.
They even threatened that anyone who resisted would be dealt with by the Army!
Even, within the Elders Council, not everyone agrees with him.
Chief Peluola is from Anko quarters in Eruwa. Just like Debo Ogundoyin.
The Cashew Plantation is located in New Eruwa. The Eruwa Farm Settlement is situated, largely on the Land of Aborerin.
The Polytechnic in Eruwa is sitting on the Land of Aborerin.
The said Polytechnic was brought to Eruwa by the late Chief Davidson Mokolade Gbolagunte of Aborerin quarters in Eruwa when he was Speaker of the Old Oyo state House of Assembly.
Today, the said Polytechnic is named after the late Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin, father of the present Speaker.
History is one kind of a bitch!
I have taken time to examine the tenure of Chief Peluola as the Chairman of the Eruwa Elders Council.
I must say that I have my reservations about the said Council since inception.
For me, their activities have always been self serving. Apologies to a few of them who have demonstrated personal restraint and positive principles.
Chief Peluola, it was, as Chairman of the Eruwa Elders Council, who chose to blame Adeolu Masolanu and the Labor Party for having the audacity to contest against the anointed candidate of Debo Ogundoyin in 2021 and when the PDP thugs stoked violence that eventually led to the killings of four innocent people, the one who was supposed to be the Father to all, decided to mock Masolanu and the Labor Party.
” Ori Okere koko lawo, ba wi fun Omo eni a gboran, ” he sang!
Note that Adeolu Masolanu is also from Aborerin.
When a younger brother took me up, asking me to give details of what I know about the activities of some greedy individuals within Eruwa, concerning the sales of both the Eruwa Cashew Plantation and the Farm Settlement, I just laughed.
I know inside of me that if I spill what I know, some people will be too ashamed of those they call Fathers and Uncles.
There was a very unfortunate but funny incident on the day of the handing over.
Sited around the Professor were some Traditional heads and the organizers were distributing fat envelopes to those people in front of the man!
That is how low we have descended. If you must give those Traditional heads something, shouldn’t you at least treat them with some respect and dignity?
Truth be said. I don’t blame those who are lacking in courtesy. I blame those who embraced the insults.
It is so sad that Governor Seyi Makinde achieved what he couldn’t do with the Akufo Farm Settlement in Eruwa and easily so.
Before I round up this piece, I wish to challenge Debo Ogundoyin, Chief Peluola and others who played prominent roles in the handing over of the Eruwa Farm Settlement to foreigners and the sale of the Cashew Plantation to avail the public the details of the partnership agreement signed and explain in concrete terms, how such agreements will benefit the Eruwa Community.
They should give details of what was negotiated with the ” partners” to take care of the interests of the local Settlers and what they negotiated, also in concrete terms as benefits in terms of employments and when I say that, I am not talking about odd jobs.
I want them to tell us why they thought it is reasonable to give out the whole expanse of Land without thinking about the future.
Most especially, why they couldn’t at least, protect the Eruwa Water Works.
What does the agreement say about the Eruwa Water Works?
That is a very crucial issue of importance. That is why I said a lot of people are ignorant about what they’re celebrating.
Some young ones of today who didn’t know that pipe borne water was never an issue in Eruwa some years back wouldn’t feel the pain some of us are going through as a result of the indescretions of a few.
Debo Ogundoyin and Chief Peluola must address the Community and tell us what the fate of the Eruwa Water Works is going to be moving forward.
If Governor Makinde can not make it work, it doesn’t mean another can’t.
Did some people just threw the Water Works away? Just like that?
I have never seen where Governor Makinde’s ” partnerships” has been deployed to the benefits of the public.
The Home owners of Eng. Lere Adigun GRA are currently locked in a litigation battle with Governor Seyi Makinde’s ” Infrastructures partner” for the GRA.
We have all seen the nature of Governor Makinde’s ” partnership and collaborations” with the 33 Local Governments.
I am certain that the partnership in Eruwa will suffer the same fate.
I will like to end this piece by asking Debo Ogundoyin this particular question that has been excising my mind.
Late Chief Davidson Mokolade Gbolagunte brought the Polytechnic to Eruwa as a Legacy and the name of Chief Ogundoyin has been affixed to that Polytechnic. No qualms.
Can we affix the name of Chief Peluola to the Eruwa Farm Settlement and call it Peluola Agric hubs and remember it as Debo Ogundoyin’s Legacy?
Whatever answer both of them arrived at, is the results of the exam they did.
” Bi ejo o sunwon, elejo laa pe o daa”. ( It is the one who presents a bad case that you first ask to pass judgment).
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