Ilaje Parapo Forum, IPF, have lamented the Marginalization it is facing in Ondo State, alleging that the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa is also enabling the Marginalization its facing.
The Group in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Prince Edward Akingboye, stated that Ilajes are facing betrayal and neglect by the present Ondo State Government.
Akingboye stated that the silence of the Ilajes has suddenly become a crime, as
indifference becomes betrayal and sycophancy becomes a dagger in the heart of truth.
He added the people of Ilaje and the entire coastal stretch of Ondo State have woken up from their slumber, urging Governor Aiyedatiwa to address the Marginalization the Ilaje people are facing.
“The wind has spoken. The sea has roared. The land groans. And yet, in the palace of power, there is music, there is laughter, there is Ayedatiwa for me?
“Luck may enthrone a king, but performance demands experience and skill.
Indeed, fortune may smile on a man and hand him the crown, but it is wisdom, vision, and grit that sustains the throne”.
The group said it is saddened that the unfolding drama has made the stage to
crumble under the feet of Ilaje people.
Akingboye further stated that the cries of the Ilaje people have risen like incense to the heavens, unanswered, unheard, drowned by the cymbals of birthday songs and echo of political
banter.
He also added that Nigeria is not a playground for experimental leadership, that governance, especially in a
nation where over 75% of the rural population wallows in multidimensional poverty is not a game of dice.
“It is not about flamboyant
appearances or ceremonial presence at every social gathering. It is about sober commitment to people’s welfare, the grit to face hard truths, and the humility to seek counsel and correct course.
“Who will remind Gov. Ayedatiwa that his kith and kin in Ilaje are dying not in dozens but in thousands—year after year—under the choking consequences of oil exploration, without a single sustainable benefit to show for it? The land that birthed him is weeping. The ocean, once generous, now eats away our coast like a ravenous
beast.
“Homes have been swallowed. Lives dislocated. The fishing nets have become empty, and the farmlands saline deserts. Yet the throne dances.
“Have you walked through “Gbeneva” and Ayetoro lately? Once proud communities, now swallowed by the sea like Atlantis of old. The waves do not knock anymore; they enter uninvited.
“Homes disappear overnight. Farmlands are rendered useless. Fishing boats rot under the burden of despair. And yet, Ilaje—a region that contributes immensely to the national oil purse has not a single functioning hospital.
“Not a single well-equipped school. Even the Ilaje Education Authority office (@ Omonira) has become a tragic amusement, more of a swimming pool than a workspace, gleefully collecting rainwater like a child playing in the rain.
“The so-called Mega
School in Igbokoda stands in equally shameful neglect, its zinc sheets lifted in defiance, smiling upward to heaven, as though in mockery of the children it was meant to shelter. This is not abandonment by accident. It is neglect by design”.
He further lamented that the present administration of Governor Aiyedatiwa can’t be termed governance, stating that the Governor needs to hear the word of reasoning that this is isn’t a season of superficial politics.
“Who will whisper into the ears of Mr. Governor that this is not the season for
superficial politics, but for strategic governance anchored in rigorous planning?
“That this is not the time for dancing in agbada through corridors of power, but for building bridges, literal and metaphorical to the futures of his people?
“Who will summon the courage to tell Ayedatiwa that popularity is not built in the applause of parties, but in the annals of legacy? That the real task before the OSOPADEC chairman today is not throwing parties with Jollof rice and calling Mr. Governor to the table, but designing a rescue blueprint for a drowning people.
“The story of the he-goat who was sent on an urgent errand but slipped and lost his way to a banana peel is a fable, yes. But for us, it is a prophecy. A warning. A metaphor.
“We are losing our children to illiteracy. We are losing our homes to the sea. We are losing our land to erosion. We are losing our future. And the he-goat of power dances.
“Imagine the audacity: the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),
celebrating 25 years of existence—25 years of colossal budgets and phantom
promises—brought its festivity to the Governor’s doorstep. Banners were raised.
“Microphones were shared. Speeches were clapped. Yet, no one asked the hard questions: Where are the projects in Ilaje? Where are the roads, the hospitals, the schools, the shoreline defenses?
“In all these years, NDDC could not point to a single monumental legacy in the very region (Ilaje) that bleeds oil.
“Yet, the MD departed
with fanfare, not reprimanded.
“Mr. Governor applauded. But who will remind him that leadership must confront failure, not decorate it?
“Who will remind Mr. Governor that governance must come with feedback, with rigorous monitoring and sound evaluation? That the people must see, feel, and touch the impact of policies and actions? That documentation and transparency are the pillars of meaningful leadership? That a vision undocumented is a dream unshared,
and a dream unshared is a journey unled?
“Mr. Governor, we do not hate you. But we demand more from you. Because you wear the shoes of our ancestors. Because the oil beneath our feet is not our curse, it should be our blessing. Because we believe that leadership is not for adornment but for action.
“We try not to insult but to ignite. We shout not in rebellion but in righteousness. We write not in bitterness but in burden. This is a trumpet blast from the creeks of Ilaje. It
is time for purpose, for prudence, for performance.
“The time of luck has passed. The era of results has begun.
“Who, indeed, will call Gov. Ayedatiwa for me?”, the statement reads.
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