Barrister Akinbuluma Ayokanmi Kehinde
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the equality of rights and opportunities for all citizens to maintain social order, freedom and justice. It outlaws the discrimination of citizens by reason of ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion. By section 16(1)b of the Constitution. The government is given the directives to control the National economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice, equality of status and opportunity. However, the case of the people of the South Senatorial District of Ondo State appears to be different. The people’s right to fundamental amenities such as pipe-borne water, good roads and above all electricity appear to be an illusion.
For close to 10 years down the line Okitipupa, Irele, Ese-Odo, Ilaje which are full fledge Local Government Areas in the south Senatorial District of Ondo State have been wallowing in total darkness. The claim that Nigeria has had fortunes in terms of power generation in recent times is at best a story that touches and a fantasy to the people of the district for decades. We have sung it in songs, we have said it in parables, we have pleaded it in prayers, we have played it in drums but solution seems not coming to the mess. This unfortunate scenario has left the people to continue to wonder whether the Local Government Areas are parts of the geographical expression called Nigeria.
There is no gain saying the fact these Local Government Areas make up the economic hubs of the state with quality human and material resources. For instance, the Ilaje Local Government and the Ese-Odo which are riverine areas that birthed the oil deposits of the State thus give the reason for the nomenclature of Ondo State among other states in Nigeria as an oil producing state. These areas are in the past 10 years been thrown into perpetual blackout. Places like Igbotako, Iju–Odo, Igbodigo , Ayeka, Okunmo, Igodan and Ode Aye which are towns in Okitipupa have had power outage for 8 years while places like Ajagba, Akotogbo, Iyansan and other community have been experiencing same for 7 years.
It is an obvious fact that this imbroglio has hindered several developments in these areas. Not having electricity for one year is tantamount to serious setbacks for centuries how much less for these donkey years in these LGAs. Indeed this menace has adversely impeded economic activities in the areas. Businesses have gone redundant and life has become too difficult for the people. Aside the inflationary rate of goods and services in the country, the situation in the South is so intense. Manufacturers and retailers justify the high costs of their products and hinged them on astronomical expenditures on production caused by fuel they have to struggle to purchase. The absence of electricity has hindered many business organizations from coming to these areas. The banks in Okitipupa and its environs are not proportional to the growing population. Thus, the people spend hours trying to use the ATM.
Children of the ages of 10 below know nothing called “UP NEPA” as chanted by the older generation but are addicted to their father’s “ipass my neighbour” generator which are only available for few hours at nights and for those who can afford to purchase the inflated fuel. Children of the Lower class subconsciously believe they have to go to their neighbours’ houses to power their parents’ phones and gadgets every night.
There have been unending appeals, mediations, engagements and agitations to challenge these infrastructural deficits and reckless abandonment. None of which have yielded positive result nor put an end to the mess. A good number of people, majority of which constitute the youth, have relocated away from the area, some flow in and out because of their entrenched investments and interests, many have devised means of generating wealth on their own, some other youth have assumed the positions of their elders even though their elders are yet alive; some others have taken to criminalities while the other people have accepted their fates to cope with the blackouts and hope for better days. The electric poles have fallen and cables now serve as spreading ropes for people while deserted electricity transformers been taken over by bushes.
Following different agitations and uproar, the promise to intervene to restore electricity in these areas by successive governments and other organisations is exhausting. More recent is the Bring Back our Light campaign committee launched with the sole aim of facilitating speedy restoration. None of these has put smiles of the wailing faces of our people. Thus, the people have cried and cried until they lost the power to weep.
What is more worrisome is the unending deceits from politicians who come to campaign during elections with loaded promises to act on the predicaments immediately they assume office but who turned out to be foreigners or passers-by afterwards. Yet our people would not stop to follow sheepishly when given pittance. So many road projects have been abandoned while earlier constructed ones are dilapidating but which are only being adjusted in anticipation of visit of political office holders. The swallowing pit at the centre of the road in Ode Ayeka remains a den to avoid despite promises made to act without delay during campaigns. Do would-be office holders need to take oaths of office or swear by traditional means before we trust them? I wonder greatly.
Funny enough is the unfounded, dubious and unconvincing electricity bills presented to be owed by the people of the areas to the so called BEDC despite the failures. The people view this as a complete callousness and attempts by the power-that–be to continuously oppress them for unknown sins. The areas have been disconnected from electricity prior to the fallacious claim for debt. Before the blackout, the government alone has monopoly of power generation and distribution, thus, there was no company like BDEC. How then can the people owe a non-existing private company which has not given light at any time? How possible is it to be indebted for cables that are disengaged for years or pay for services not rendered? Where in the world do you have to pay for consumables without utilization or pay for services not rendered? Who will help our people to pay these exorbitant bills? All these questions never cease to bother me.
Even though arrangements are underway to involve the people to pay in other to facilitate the restoration, vitriolic comments from the angered people reveal that no kobo would be paid until power is restored. In other words, they will only be ready to pay when light enter their bulbs. Without this, a call to pay from household to household is an abysmal.
Such is the unpalatable situations we found ourselves in the South Senatorial district of Ondo State. We have spent several Christmas and New Year in blackouts. More excruciating is the current oil scarcity and pump increase which worsen the peoples’ misery. As we enter another new year, I recount with nostalgia the old days we spent with stable electricity. Each day I see light when am away from the areas, I consistently ask myself, what is our sins? I cannot detach myself from this impediment, Apart from being from the area, I have schooled and live in the place. Watch out, the next attack against this write up will be that it is politically-motivated; I wonder what level of pains one should suffer before one can write about it.
Question people ask is whether there are no youth in these areas that can shut down government activities, demand amnesty or negotiations like their brothers. An in-depth study of the youth in the region shows a peace-loving young men and women. However, fear of being intimidated or reproached by the power-that-be and even the community itself, fear of being victimized and selfish aggrandisement are a major constraint of socio-political youth groups from seeking redress.
I applaud our peoples’ strives to succeed despite the bedevilling challenges. Albeit the facilities to enhance individual efforts to succeed are frustrated, people remain resilient and would always aspire to the top.
As we enter 2018, i, on behalf on my people appeal to the governments, Federal and State, the National and State Assemblies, the international community, and indeed all who share in this anguish to come to our rescue. By the provision of Section 14(2) CFRN, the welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. All is not well with the Ondo South Senatorial district.
I will not cease to implore our people to remain resolute in our determination to succeed despite all odds. I further encourage us to take up the responsibility to help ourselves if nobody cares. The power generation station in Omotosho, Okitipupa Local government can provide uninterrupted electricity supply to the South. This should be harnessed. I am aware that some of our sons and daughters have contributed towards deflating the debt claimed to be owed, for this, I say Kudos. However I encourage others to contribute their quotas.
We demand that our electricity be restored with immediacy, we declare that the attempt to levy household without first restoring power is most unfair and unwarranted. I charge the committee set up to facilitate the restoration of power to come up with a more realistic approach to rid our society off profound darkness. We challenge the sales of the power distribution of the south to an unknown individual and call on the National and State Assemblies to investigate the operation of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company in the past few years. We finally call on the federal Government to revisit and review the sale of power distribution in the country.
We know we have bad roads, we know there are no jobs, we know we have no pipe-borne water, but we beg you, GIVE US LIGHT.
Long live Ondo South Senatorial District!
Long live Ondo State!!
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
