Kunle Adelabu
-Former minister calls for focus on educational development in Igbogbo
Former Minister for Works, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Adeseye Kingsley Ogunlewe, has called for the review of operations of the Igbogbo Development Association (IDEA), the body saddled with the development of Igbogbo community.
Also, Dr Omotunde Ogunlaja, another illustrious son of Igbogbo and the President of the IDEA, has called for the review of the way the annual Igbogbo Day Celebration is being organized.
The duo made the requests at the maiden edition of the Public/Civil Servant Day which was part of the activities lined up for the celebration of the 2019 Igbogbo Day.
The event, which was organized by the Conference of Igbogbo Indigenes in Civil and Public Service (COIICPS) , were His Royal Majesty, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, who himself was a public officer in the service of the Lagos State Government as a State Counsel before ascending the throne of his ancestors, and many other illustrious sons and daughters of Igbogbo who had and are still occupying important public positions. Among these Aremu Segun Ogunlewe, former Lagos Head of Service, Barr. Adeboye Dankwo, a Director at the National Assembly in Abuja, Alhaji Jelili Hasbunallahi Abubakar, Director with the Lagos State Government, Lagos State, Mrs Kemi Kalesanwo, Director, Agency for Mass Education, Mrs Adedipe Titilola, Director, HR & A, Ministry of Justice and Mr Waheed Kasali, Director Training, Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) among others.
Senator Ogunlewe, speaking at the event, stated that IDEA was created by the founding fathers to see to the educational and other developments of Igbogbo and not only for organizing the annual Igbogbo Day.
“IDEA is not for Igbogbo Day alone but it has been restricted to that. When we started it (IDEA), we were looking into educational development of Igbogbo and other areas by given bursary awards to our youths”.
The former Minister, who was at one time a Permanent Secretary for eight years in Lagos State, emphasized the importance of education while challenging the council chairman and royal father that they have important roles to play in educational and other developments of Igbogbo.
“I commend you, the chairman of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, for giving bursary to students in the community. It is your responsibility to assist parents that lack the power to educate their children. But you still have bigger role to play” , Senator Ogunlewe said while challenging the council chairman.
“Kabiyesi has the biggest role to play in bringing everybody together for the development of Igbogbo”, he added.
He also called for the reversal of what he termed as abysmal performance of students in secondary schools in Igbogbo.
The former minister, who stated that he has influence and slots regarding admission into some Universities across the country, expressed disappointment over the level of credit passes in the two community owned secondary schools in Igbogbo.
“We all must get involved. We must make conscious efforts to lift the younger and poor ones in Igbogbo”, he stated.
In his own address, Dr Ogunlaja recalled what he witnessed at the grand finale of the 2019 Ikorodu Oga Day that was held at the Ayangbure palace in Ikorodu, stating that the way and manner Igbogbo Day is being organized needed to be adjusted.
“It has come to our consciousness that there is need to review the way we organize Igbogbo Day”, he said.
“We have overemphasized Igbogbo Day as a carnival and lost touch with how to use it for development”.
Dr Ogunlaja, who also recalled the good old days of, particularly when its traditional ruler was the Secretary of the House of Chiefs in the Old Western Region as well as having its sons and daughters as Senator, Head of Service, Permanent Secretaries, Directors among many others in top positions in the public and private sectors, challenged participants at the event to bring back the good old days.
“In the years past, Igbogbo was greater than most of its neigbouring communities. At a time, our Oba was highly revered because of his position as the Secretary of the House of Chiefs in the Western Region. We had also produced top civil and public service personnel.
“We need, as a people, to gather all our strength to bring back Igbogbo’s glory”, he challenged.
The medical doctor, who retired at Level 16 from the Lagos State Civil Service some years back, also called for the collective involvement of everybody in the development of Igbogbo.
“Development is not about individuals, but all of us and we have all rose up to that today by coming together to discuss about Igbogbo and the development of our youths”.
He also expressed his displeasure over the unimpressive response of the people towards the contribution to developmental projects during the annual Igbogbo Day, especially the failure to commence the construction of the proposed Igbogbo Town Hall several years after it was conceived due to lack of fund.
