Without the
people, there will be no government because the people constitute the
essence of governance in a state. It’s pathetic today that misfits have
hijacked the social contract to enrich themselves by signing cheques in
the names of the people for their private pockets. It is an abuse of
democratic principles for the people to wallow in poverty and penury
while the state sponsors propagandist advertorials costing millions of
naira on national television stations to launder the image of the
leader.
The
sunshine state famed for the production of grounded intellectuals with
the capability to engrave their names on rocks with bare hands has been
reduced to a beggarly position at the mercy of bail outs upon bail outs
from the Federal Government which are inhumanely diverted and shared
among the ruling elites. The great Ondo state has become a shadow of its
former self due to the machination of men in power.
What
happened to Ondo state blessed with crude oil, Bitumen, Coal,
Limestone, Granite, Clay, Ceramic, Lime Stone, Pebble, Kaolin,
Quartzite, Marble, Sea Shells Fossils, Cocoa and in general fertile land
for agriculture? How on earth was Ondo mismanaged to insolvency? How
have the families of the state civil servants being owed 6 months by the
government surviving on paltry salaries been staying alive? Do they
sleep well at night and what is their hope at the break of a new day?
How can the teeming youths roaming around the streets haplessly be
orientated, redirected and progressively engaged towards the betterment
of their lives and improvement of the state’s ailing economy? How can we
make the aged ones; our parents that served the state at different
capacities meritoriously over years smile till the day they gloriously
transit to the great beyond?
These
are rhetorical questions that re-echo in my head all day as Ondo state
makes the news headlines for the wrong reasons in recent times.
The
cause of this absurdity isn’t far-fetched. An ‘Iroko’ has blocked the
wind of progress in the state. The Iroko tree has blocked the water from
flowing thereby driving the proteinous fishes in the Ilaje area into
extinction. The Iroko tree has blocked the sun from shining on the hay
spread by people at the nick of time. The Iroko tree has blocked the
rain water from enriching the soil and boosting the growth of plants to
feed the population of over 4 million people.
The
difference between a mentally-deranged man in the dirt and a sage in
the palace is the state of the head. When the head is sick, the entire
body losses focus and direction. Ondo is blessed, Ondo has the
potentials for greatness but Ondo chose the wrong head. The ship of
development is being driven by a sailor without a compass, hence the
reason why we are where we are.
What
does the future hold for Ondo state when 5,000 youths/students that are
supposed to be the leaders of tomorrow are being reportedly rented and
brainwashed by the Iroko for a pitiable sum of N3,000 each to protest
against the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari knowing
fully well that Nigeria has lost over $400 billion to corruption since
independence in 1960.
The
Iroko is aware of the powerful wind of CHANGE moving through the forest
and bringing the fig trees. The evil Iroko serving as a clog in the
wheel of growth and development is scared of breaking its trunk by the
ferocity of the wind.
Dear
Ondo people, as September race to the Alagbaka House draws closer,
let’s make a progressive decision with our votes to fall the Iroko and
its branches.
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