Ondo South: The Hidden Wealth of The West Awaiting Redemption


By Olaniyan Morakinyo


Those who are familiar with the richness of the soil of Ondo South Senatorial District and the abundance of economic mineral resources beneath it will never contest it when the district is aptly and fittingly described as the richest district in Ondo State and perhaps the wealthiest axis in the southwestern arc of Nigeria.

Aside from the soil being viable for agricultural purposes ranging from subsistence to commercial farming and the abundance of bitumen and crude oil, the district also boasts of a coastline with arguably the longest in the West-Africa sub-region thus making the axis an unrivalled candidate for a deep seaport that has remained elusive for some years now.

Cocoa plantation remains a major preserve of the district so with oil palm plantation. Founded in the Second Republic by the administration of the late Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Okitipupa Oil Palm Plantation Company(a processing company) is still alive and kicking, serving as a veritable vehicle of employment for the people even though more could be done to upscale the operational capacity of the organisation.

In addition to the above, the people of the axis comprising the Ilajes, Ijaw Arogbo, Ikale, Odigbo Ile-Oluji, and the rest, have been known, for ages, to be industrious folks who have contributed and still contributing to the development of the state and beyond in various profitable capacities.

Yet, amidst the resources and endowment nature has gifted the region coupled with its highly sophisticated human agency, the zone remains the least developed among the comity of districts in the state. It's sheer irony and a heavy indictment suggesting some sort of clueless and rudderless political leadership that has held the place in perpetual strangulation for years, especially since the return of civil rule to the country in 1999.

Apart from crude oil exploration in the district which does qualify Ondo State for admittance into the exclusive club of oil-producing states in the country, the resultant benefit of the 13 per cent derivation from the Federation Account and other allied benefits, bitumen exploration has remained a pipe dream for years so with the deep seaport elusive. In fact, in every election season, aspirants have weaponized the issue of bitumen exploration and the deep seaport to mine some political advantage for themselves to the collective detriment of the people. But for how long should this continue?

There is no atom of doubt that the district has not had efficient and effective political leadership that can galvanize and mobilize support for the economic revitalization of the district, especially at the national level, given the fact that states usually are limited in terms of what they can do per the exploration of the resources a state has because of the obnoxious Land Use Act of 1978.

The foregoing, therefore, necessarily offers a veritable platform for the people of the zone to have a rethink in their choice of those who should go to represent them at the National Assembly in 2023, especially in the Red Chambers - the Senate- where most crucial decisions of national development are given legislative backing, which, bar all odds, will be implemented by the executive arm of government.

At the risk of exaggeration, it is without equivocation that Ondo South remains the district with the least developmental projects attracted to the zone among the three senatorial districts in the state by the respective senators representing them. Ondo North has been most fortunate to have Professor Ajayi Boroffice as its senator so with Ondo Central with Senator Ayo Akinyelure doing wonders for the zone through quality zonal intervention programs. The less one mentions that of Ondo South, the better for the person's sanity.

It's a fact that Ondo South has never lacked men of prodigious capacity who can rally the district for organic development and inclusive growth; the major challenge is that it's either those men abandon politics for the traditional and career politicians or when they move into the terrain, they don't get the platform to serve because they are often outplayed by those who understand the intrigues and nuances of high voltage politicking and before you say, Jack, they disappear from the political firmament never to return!

Well, the tradition(or is it convention?)of sending men of mediocre capacities to the Senate in the district is about to change as the road to 2023 becomes clearer with the entrance of an investment and development work, Boye Oyewunmi, into the senatorial race on the platform of the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress(APC).

If Ondo South must be revitalized along the path of sustainable development, then a person of Oyewunmi's pedigree and myriad experience spanning the private and public sectors in almost three decades is the right answer to the perennial problem of deficient and egregiously inefficient leadership that has stymied the progress of the zone for years.

Without being immodest, of the throng of aspirants who have so far declared their interest for the senate among the two dominant political parties in the zone, Oyewunmi remains the most qualified with the right mix and blend of academic qualifications, exposure and experiential knowledge. Interestingly, since he decided to heed the call of the people by declaring his interest, the dynamics and permutations of the politics of the senate in the district have changed radically with everyone seeing him as a formidable aspirant who is difficult to browbeat or push aside.

Oyewunmi's records of excellence in service- both public and private- speak to the criticality of the need for Ondo South to send someone of his sterling status to the senate in 2023 for the hidden wealth of the district to undergo transmutation into physical wealth which will be beneficial to everyone in the zone and beyond. As espoused elsewhere, for the maximization of the wealth of the district which has been in the limbo for decades, someone who is versed in industrialization and investment must, of necessity, be the one in the Senate to invoke the right legislations and lobby to back up efforts to exploit the wealth of the people for their collective benefit.

One reverberating testament to his ability to create wealth where none barely exists is the way he has turned Ondo State into an investment haven courtesy of his dual roles as the adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Investment and as the pioneer chief executive officer of the Ondo State Investment and Development Promotion Agency(ONDIPA), a special purpose utility vehicle to drive the industrialization of Ondo State. As the saying goes, to know a man's competence, entrust a responsibility into his care and see how he turns out. Oyewunmi has been tested and has been found to have delivered beyond expectations and measures. Let's try him for the senate in 2023! He can do it. He will do it. But first thing first: let's give him the nod to be Ondo South senator.


Olaniyan Morakinyo sends this piece from Okeigbo, Ondo State.

Too long

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