EndSARS Protest: Gov Akeredolu inspects Okitipupa, condemns wanton destruction of public facilities
– Steve Ovirih.
The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and members of the Executive Council paid a visit to Okitipupa, the headquarters of Okitipupa Local Government Council where he was showed round the government facilities touched by hoodlums during the EndSARS Protest.
Executive Chairman, Okitipupa Local Government, Hon Igbekele Akinrinwa and his Councillors were on ground , pointing to all the public facilities which were either rased down or massively looted.
With the wanton destruction of the Okitipupa Local Government Secretariat where all the administrative blocks were burnt down while office effects were looted, the protest in Okitipupa has brought in its wake massive despoilation , untold havoc , nerve gritting and shocking revelation of how destructive the irate youths can get ; public facilities and property running into billions of naira were fed to the inferno that became the hallmark of the despicable riot. At the Secretariat of Okitipupa Local Government Council, over forty vehicles including four utility luxurious busses used to transport students to and from school were burnt to ashes.
Other places visited by Governor Akeredolu and his entourage , which had already become burnt and desolate were the INEC office, the Okitipupa Police station and the Area Commander’s office, Ministry of Education, Dept of Forestry and Vehicle Inspection Office ( VIO).
The rest are the Nigerian Correctional Service where inmates were broken out of jail; the Internal Revenue Offices at Okeoyinbo, National Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), some part of the Okitipupa Oil Palm Company, the private residence of APC Chieftain, Engr. Ife Oyedele, Executive Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company ( NDPHC) and the High Court , Okitipupa.
Gov. Akeredolu’s body language expressed shock and disappointment over the sad development as he condemned the unnecessary destruction of facilities that were built by tax payers money.
Hon. Igbekele Akinrinwa, the Council Chairman who spoke with the polity.net said the hoodlums have not considered the cost of the destruction, noting that the heritage that took time and cost money to put together they had destroyed within a twinkle of an eye. ” As you can see the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Akeredolu has visited and has seen how destructive our youths went on the day of the protest.
” I am sad , extremely sad at the obvious failure of the youths to show decency and display a sense of attachment to public property , which are our collective heritage as people of Okitipupa Local Government Area.
” As the Chief Law enforcement officer of this Local Government, I sue for peace. I appeal to everybody to go about their lawful daily activities. The evil deed has been done already, all we need to do now is to collectively seek solution, so we are not putting any blame on anybody because we need peace to reign in our Land,” Hon. Akinrinwa maintained.
In their joint address to the Press on the unfortunate development, Councillors from Okitipupa Local Government Council, Hon. Kunle Ikuedowo, Ward 2 Okitipupa and Hon Segun Olajide, Igbotako Ward 2, said the arsonists do not qualify to be described as EndSARS protesters but hoodlums without any sense of propriety and no sense of history. The duo agreed that the protesters overreached themselves and failed to see themselves as “leaders of tomorrow” adding that young people who want to be fortunate in life don’t go about stoking embers of destruction of this magnitude that can make an ancient town to look despoilated like a community that has just experienced an internecine war.
While Hon . Ikuedowo stressed that the gods of the land and retributive justice shall not fold hands and look on at the wilful destruction of the land, Hon. Segun Olajide said sons and daughters of Ikale Land will be reached out to in due course for necessary assistance.
It will be recalled that Nigerian youths had rolled out series of peaceful protests demanding Government to proscribe State Anti Robbery Squad ( SARS) for their abuses of human rights and brutality against Nigerian youths. However, in the case of Okitipupa, the youths seemed to have simply misplaced the priority by resorting to engaging in brigandage and burning of government property rather than engage in ‘the EndSARS peaceful protest .
Among the people on Gov. Akeredolu’s entourage were the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, Ondo State Commissioner of Police Bolaji Salami, the Brigade Commanding officer , Army Barracks Akure, Chief Alex Olusola Oke (SAN) among others.
