OPEN LETTER TO HON. NATHANIEL AGUNBIADE

OPEN LETTER TO HON. NATHANIEL AGUNBIADE


Dear Honourable,

           In a pondering mood I am writing you this letter. I am sorry if you would have wanted this letter to be a private one but I think that since it represents the preoccupation of my people in Ijesa North Federal Constituency, I feel morally obligated to post it in a public medium so that others, especially my good people of Obokun/Oriade Local Government Area, may also have access to its content. So, please bear with me.

After series of Campaigns with Promises made by Candidates from different parties during the last general elections, my people of Ijesa North Federal Constituency went to the poll on April 9, 2011 to cast their votes for who they think can represent them at Federal House Of Representatives, Abuja, for the next four years. They came out enmasse and voted for You, Bar. Nathaniel Agunbiade, thinking you can represent and serve them better.

Fortunately, the people of the “State of Osun”, most especially the “IJESAS”, were still in joyous mood for the Victory of Rauf Aregbesola in Court after three years of his struggle to regain his “Stolen Mandate” from the Oppressors. The atmosphere in “State of Osun” then was a changed one, the people were clamouring for change at all level of government in the State. They want change at the nooks and crannies of “State of Osun”; and that was why my people came out and voted for you, thinking you will be the Change for Obokun/Oriade Local Government Area.

On May 29, 2011, you were sworn-in and immediately assumed your office. You affirmed your promises to the people as you took the oath of office. Many of our people even witnessed you being sworn-in as their new representative in Abuja. You were challenged in court by your opponent; he alleged that you rigged the election, but our people stood and re-affirmed your victory, they were with you throughout the court sessions and thank God you won; Of course they know who they voted for.

They supported you through thick and thin but what has been their lots since then? They’re already abandoned. It saddens my heart! During your campaign, you made a lot of promises, which you know it’s a debt you must pay. You told them you are confident and won’t renege on your promises.
Need I remind you that you promised to visit the towns and villages in Obokun/Oriade Local Government after your inauguration, to liaise with the people in order to know their needs and make the provision, but have you visited any? I don’t think so! Are your promises mere empty words or gimmicks to win the election?

I tuned my radio this morning and I heard an advert of people congratulating the representatives of their State/Area for their achievements in their One Year of representation. I then pondered on what you’ve achieved so far during your One Year stay in office; lo and behold, I can’t pin-point to any. In that case, what have you achieved so far in your One Year stay in office? Sincerely, I have been thinking of the answer(s) you may give to that question. Maybe you will say there was peace in Ijesa North Federal Constituency during your One Year stay in office, maybe you will say “ase fe m’eye l’apo ni”; maybe you will say exactly what the former Representative of Osogbo Federal Constituency told his people after promising Heaven-on-Earth before election- “my duty as a legislator is to pass law that will benefit you all, not to embark on constituency projects; if you’re thinking that I will embark on infrastructural development, forget it, I won’t do that because it’s not my duty.” Then I will ask, why collecting the Money for Constituency Projects at the National Assembly if you won’t do any project?

Anyway, this is not the time to castigate you but to remind you of the covenant you made, your bond and the contract you signed with your Constituents. You need to be reminded of your promises in case you’ve been carried away with the good life in Abuja. Your Constituents are really yearning for the change you promised. They are waiting to be given an ounce of hope to live and wings to fly. The Youths can’t wait to attend the maiden of your promised annual Youth Conference in the Constituency, they want to exchange information and cross-fertilize ideas towards self development and leadership roles.

 The students have revived their reading culture as they want to be beneficiaries of your promised scholarships. They are waiting to hear of your partnership with foreign institutions that gives tuition scholarships. They want you to communicate with them, they want you to spend some amount of time fielding phone calls and reading letters or emails for you to know what they’re concerned about.
Thy people are waiting for an “Unusual Representation”. They want to be allowed to have a say in how they are being represented. They want to see the office you promised to open in all the 22 wards of the Constituency after your inauguration, to bring governance to their doorstep, such that, whoever has a suggestion as well as criticism will lodge it there without intimidation or fear.


There are challenges facing my people which you’ve promised to tackle and I think I have to highlight some here. First of all, the spate of unemployment among our youths is alarming, it calls for serious attention. Many go into Okada business which endangers their life while some hangs around doing nothing and keep impregnating our innocent girls.

I think it is high time you started fulfilling your promises. You said you’ll strive to assist at least 50 YOUTHS annually to be gainfully employed, an average of 2 persons per ward in a year. In addition to that, you promised to employ at least 2 persons at each ward to attend to people. You told us that they shall be recruited immediately after inauguration, but it’s a year already and you’ve done nothing.

You promised empowerment for all. You promised to create vocational centres in order to give the training required to the youths who have prowess for craftsmanship and artisan-ship. You said you will not just ensure they are trained; you will access funds to establish them after the period of their trainings. The funds which you said are parts of the Funds that are readily made available by the Federal Government, that we are not aware of, or denied of its existence.
Our peasants and subsistence farmers needs help. You promised to establish a farm settlement in order to train the farmers and would-be ones, in modern farming techniques; you said they will be supplied fertilizers and other farming chemicals at discounted price. Also, you promised to support them and other Associations and Co-operatives with business interests with micro credit facilities which will be interest-free. I also think micro-credit should be given to entrepreneurs to procure working capital.

Another problem facing my people is poor health and sanitation. It calls for immediate intervention because it is only someone with long life that reaps the fruits of his labour. Health they say is wealth! What kills people is not hunger but scourge of diseases that could be prevented even before it stems. There is urgent need to facilitate access to medical treatment and campaign against deadly diseases like HIV-AIDS and water borne diseases through a mobile clinics and subsidy for medicine and referrals to specialists’ hospitals for further treatment.

There is a dire need for clean water in most of the villages in Oriade-Obokun Federal Constituency, and as God we have it, there are readily available sources of water for Obokun/Oriade Local Government- Esa-Odo Dam and Olumirin Waterfall, Erin Ijesa. Esa-Odo and Olumirin Waterfall can supply water to towns and villages in Obokun and Oriade Local Government if dammed; modern technology that is capable of pumping the water, with a treatment plant is only what is needed to be put in place.

Other projects you promised to embark on are:
v Job Creation for Adults
v Social Regeneration Project
v Supply of Tricycle for Intra Town Daily
v Educational Development
v Establishment of Rice Processing Mills
v Establishment of Cassava Processing Plant
v Establishment of Oil Palm Extraction Plants
v Establishment of Vegetable Oil Extraction Plant
v Establishment of Piggery, Snailry, Turkey and Guinea Fowl Farms
v  Animal Husbandry Project.
v Creation of Agric. Processing Plants/Infrastructure
v Embarking on Agric. Implementation Programme.

There is no doubt that you are in, for a change in Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency. If all these programmes are well executed, your name will surely be imprinted in the heart of the people and will ever be heard as far as Ijesa North Federal Constituency is concerned; but the earlier you get to work on these projects the better.

And should in case you get carried away with the good life in Abuja and achieved nothing at the end of your tenure, many of my people will not be disappointed. Initially, many never expected anything from you, they have little hope in you because they never voted for you as an aspirant, they voted for the fresh victory of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the Court of Appeal.

I could still remember of an aged woman who came to the polling booth to vote without knowing the person to vote for; when it reached her turn to vote, she stepped forward and the party agents asked, “yesi in-ha dibo ko iya”, “egbe Aregbe ni ooo, egbe olosusu owo, Aregbesola ni maa te’ka mi ko”, the woman replied on top of her voice.
Many voted for the party, ACN, because they want total freedom from PDP’s oppression. Some voted against the third term bid of Hon. Oluwole Oke, as a mark of respect for the adopted civilized political power rotation/sharing between Oriade and Obokun LGAs.

My people won’t also be disappointed because you will not be the first representative that will achieve nothing during the stay in office, they’ve been disappointed by several representatives. They’ve been represented by people who did nothing during their stay in office; they’ve had a representative who only distributed Exercise Books to Old and Young, as Dividends of Democracy; they’ve been represented by someone who achieved in creating nuisance by sponsoring/funding thugs in the Constituency, they’ve been represented by someone who bought Exotic Cars worth of Billion Naira for the OBAs while their subjects lives in absolute poverty and sleeps hungry. They’ve been represented by someone who only strewn bags of rice around, and abandoned the decaying infrastructures.

 They’ve been represented by people who only live big at the expense of their money. So, it will be good if you make your representation an “Unusual” one and if you do, your name written in ink as a REP will never be dumped into the waste-bin of history but will forever be remembered as far as Ijesa North Federal Constituency Politics is concerned. May God be with you and assist you in fulfilling your promises. My people and I are looking forward to reading your views!

Accept My Humble Regards!!!

Yours’ Truly,
Oluwatomilola K. Boyinde,
Initiator & President,
Ijesaland Renaissance Initiative,
Ijesaland@yahoo.com