My Journey To Otu And The Thief In The Palace At Konkonbilo

On Friday, 13th of September, 2024, I left Ibadan for Otu in the Itesiwaju Local Government of Oyo state.

I had to attend the final Burial program for the late Barr. Isaac Ajiboye Omodewu who, until his death was the Oyo state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

It was a journey I undertook in a Bus in company of some Print and Broadcast Journalists and the trip was highly revealing.

I experienced, once again, the dangers the extremely narrow Moniya/Iseyin Road poses to commuters.

The verges on the either sides of the Road are beginning to encroach on the already narrow pathway in many areas.

Yet, the police are doing their own, mounting roadblocks with logs and heavy stones at about every kilometer drive.

What however caught my attention the most is the wasted opportunities which was visibly staring at you on either sides of the road between Iseyin and Otu, most especially, when you get to Okaka, going to Otu.

Between Okaka and Otu, you will notice that local farmers were growing rice on either sides of the road.

Most of the rice farms are as large as about two acres and you can not count the number of such clusters between Okaka and Otu alone.

I also saw how plentiful yam is grown starting from Iseyin and the price is surprisingly pocket friendly compared to what we have in Ibadan.

On our way back that evening, I started a conversation about my observations with our Journalist friends, some of who had jokingly referred to me as a perpetual critic of the Seyi Makinde Administration.

I showed them the rice farms here and there on either sides of the road and the availability of yam in Oke Ogun and the very low prices of the product.

We talked about how such ought to have been an opportunity if well managed and concluded that Oyo state has no business been counted amongst states experiencing hunger under no circumstances.

Now, let me break it down. We have Land that could conveniently grow rice in Oke Ogun.

For me, Governor Makinde ought to have leveraged on that opportunity to assist those local farmers to produce rice in large quantities.

What I saw between Okaka and Otu alone is enough testament to the fact that Oyo farmers in the Oke Ogun axis can conveniently grow rice to satisfy the demands of Oyo state citizens if they are motivated, organized and mobilized by Government.

The availability of yam in large quantities is another matter of concern.

Every season, we are bombarded with yams from Abuja, Nassarawa and Niger state while the yams produced in large quantities in Oke Ogun wastes away.

I discovered that the missing link here is transportation.

While we pay so much to buy Abuja, Minna and Nassarawa yams in Ibadan, local yam farmers in Oke Ogun are yearly forced to sell their products at what Yorubas call ” Ponto”, cheap prices.

Instead of the Drama we are enacting at Fashola, why can’t we mandate the Local Government Chairmen in this areas where yams are grown in large quantities to come up with a strategy that will conveniently mop up the excesses in the rural areas and bring them to the state capital?

Linking Oke Ogun with Ibadan through the Iseyin/ Moniya road is not enough. Even on this, you will still talk about the terrible state of the roads within the other towns in the area, the link roads to the farms and villages and more, but that is a discussion for another day.

The capacity for the Local farmers to bring their products is not there.

Imagine how much it will cost a farmer in Otu to bring a truckload of yams to Ibadan at this period?

Where will the farmer get such money?

If he couldn’t, wouldn’t he be forced to sell at whatever prices those at the local settings are willing to buy even if it doesn’t favor him?

Local Government Chairmen should have been encouraged and mobilized to set up Agric Boards and I mean functional Agric Boards.

Awolowo, as Premier of the Western Region set up a Cocoa Board.

This Board was directly participating in the buying and selling of Cocoa products with a view to protecting local farmers.

The Board was responsible for setting a purchase price for Cocoa at the beginning of each season.

Even if the prices went down at mid season, the Board would still buy at the agreed price, thus, subsidizing to protect farmers interests.

Awolowo, fortunately recorded his activities in books which I think anyone who is serious about Agriculture should read and assimilate.

As we speak, Cassava farmers in Oyo state are also suffering because the only processing plant that buy for export purposes is located in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

For every trucks of cassava that leaves Oyo state for Akure, the local farmers in Oyo bears the costs of transportation.

I think Governor Makinde should have been wooing those who buy cassava in Akure to come and have a plant in Oyo state.

It’s going to come at very great advantage to local cassava farmers.

I have kept saying it and I will repeat it for emphasis sake, Governor Seyi Makinde’s adventures in Agri-business is not only a misplaced priority, it is equally counter productive. It is a failure to say the least.

For Awolowo, the emphasis of his Agricultural schemes were purely built and concentrated on the local farmers and availability of jobs and food sufficiency for the citizens.

Governor Makinde’s Agri-business ventures is aimed at raising IGR for the state through foreign Investors and to the detriment of local farmers and the citizens.

For Awolowo, the people came first but for Governor Makinde, only resources matter and that is why whatever Documentary that is being planned will not turn oranges to apples.

I must tell you the disturbing story from a town far away yonder.

There was a very disturbing story that trended last week.

It was about the story of the thief that dared to steal the horses of the King while the King was away, enjoying his holidays in some far away Oyinbo Land.

You wonder why the King has not made a noise about the theft?

Ha! That would be counter productive. People have been saying that the town lacks security under the King and the King and his ” besinkawos” won’t have none of that.

Everywhere is secure and safe except for some daring ” basije” who went into the compounds of a close friend of the King to kidnap him but that friend has since been released or should I say negotiated to come back home ” safely”?

I think the King has decided to take the losses of his horse or horses as ” iso inu eku”, ( the fart by a masqurade under the Egungun garment).

Oh! Sorry. The King and his town crier doesn’t like anything masqurade.

You are asking me the name of the town where this absurdities happened?

It happened in some far, far away town of Konkonbilo.

 

SOLA ABEGUNDE