Akeredolu and his unending Political Vendetta and Economic Sabotage on Ilaje Nation.
By: The Tochlight Africa News
Like his predecessor, who started the underdevelopment of Ilaje Nation, Akeredolu has refused to seize fire. He has vowed to empty his political cartridges on the Ilaje people of Ondo State until the very day he seizes to be a Governor.
The Amotekun Governor has consistently played Ilaje out in the scheme of governance, development and has projected Ilaje people as fifth class citizens of Ondo State. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the Ilaje people ordinarily thought Aketi will govern justly and allocate positions only to those qualified under the NDDC Act and not as compensations to his kingsmen and close political associates. The Ilaje people suffer directly the effects of oil exploration and should have been considered for the EDP position not anyone from Owo or Non-Oil producing communities.
In 2016, Arakunrin Akeredolu nominated Mr Adetokunbo Ajasin , an indigene of Owo Local Government Area , a non- oil producing area in the Ondo North Senatorial District, to represent the Ilaje/Ese-Odo people on the board of the NDDC which is a flagrant disobedience to the dictates of NDDC Act and an attempt of the Ondo State Governor to rob peter to pay Paul.
The Senate President as he then was listened carefully to the protests, agitations and submissions of the Ilaje people and used his magic wand to proffer solution to this kind of anomaly by not screening Mr Ajasin. Six years later, Akeredolu has repeated the same injustice by nominating another Owo man ( his kingsmen) to represent the Oil Producing Area on the Board of the NDDC, an act which contravenes the provision of Section 12(1) of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act, which unambiguously states that only an indigene of an oil producing area shall represent each of the member states of the commission.
It appears the learned silk has forgotten the definition of “indigene” as clearly stated in the “NDDC Act”. Generally, an “indigene” is a person who belongs to the group of people who were the original inhabitants of a particular place and who therefore claim to be its rightful owner. In relation to NDDC Act , Indigene means anyone from an oil producing community. No one needs the Court to Interpret this.
It’s therefore very clear, that Mr Charles Ogunmola, who was recommended/nominated by Arakunrin Akeredolu to represent the people of the Oil-Producing Communities on the Board of NDDC is not an indigene of any of the Oil Producing Communities and therefore cannot represent the interest of the communities in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Area.
Governor Akeredolu SAN, should do the right thing and not plunge the citizens of the Ondo State into Ethno-Tribal Conflict. The Nomination of Mr Charles Ogunmola is an injustice taken too far. I therefore plead with the Governor to put an end to his Political Vendetta and Economic Sabotage on Ilaje Nation.
Similarly, I hereby call on all Traditional Institutions in the mandate Area, The Political Class, The Bourgeoisies, The Women, The ever vibrant Youths and Students of the Oil Producing Communities to petition relevant Institutions of Government and stand in unison to reject the nominated Executive Director of Project, Mr Charles Ogunmola and be immediately replaced by a more Competent person from any of the Oil Producing Communities.