“We were building bridges across the Senatorial District while Azeem and Lamidi are busy destroying them and some people ignorantly are clapping for seeing them destroying the foundation we have laid.”
The Aare Ona Kakanfo and a former Ogun State commissioner, Chief Waliu Taiwo has dropped a stringent warning over the possibilities of Otta, his hometown, of being detached from the five local governments that made up the Ogun West Senatorial district on socio-political development and economy grounds.
He made this assertion in a lengthy note he personally signed and made available to the media today (Sunday)
According to Taiwo, a political generalissimo from the Ado-Odo/Ota LG, the opinion of some individuals on the current political status of Ota in the senatorial district, is not only naïve but a self-destructive move that may jeopardize the political future of the ancient town if the avoidable and unnecessary fight is not nip in the bud.
He called on the monarch of the town, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, to caution the self-acclaimed front runners of Awori interest. In his explanation, Taiwo pointed out that Ota is not the only Awori town in the district, pointing out that there is need for the town to harmonize with other communalities and set up a socio-political agenda with all round development of the town.
Ota is the homeland of the Aworis – a Yoruba sub-ethnic group.
Taiwo, in his narratives, also recalled past political and developmental feats recorded through joints efforts with sister towns and communities that made up the senatorial distirict.
Read his full statement below:
I have been going through write up in some Ota loops. Also after the stakeholder meeting held at the Olota palace I am sorry for Ota indigenes and not Awori you are making us believe.
Before and after Yewa festival there have been a lot of noise about the program especially from our people in Ota saying a lot of nonsense about the program which honestly speaking I don’t see why it concern us here. What is your problem about it. It is their program that is why they called it Yewa Festival not Ogun West festival. How do you expect them to discuss Awori in their program.
If you are not comfortable with it go ahead and organize Awori festival and let well placed Ota indigenes including past and present political office holders which includes Deputy Governor and Senators, successful business men and women to use their influence to invite their friends to the program. What is our headache about their program. Yayi isn’t the first senator from our senatorial district neither will he be last.
Azeem Salako and Lamidi Lawal should please explain to me where the problem is. In any case if anyone wants to complain about Yayi none of you is qualified. Human memory is very short. During the last election you seriously campaigned for Senator to come from Ota where we already have the Deputy Governor. You are the front runner of “ibo alajobi” as if we don’t know our fathers names.
I will tell you the implications now it’s either you people want to turn Awori to be greedy in the face of others by having the two positions in Ota or you don’t want the Deputy Governor to be in Ota because you should know that the two position can not come from Ota alone. You can now see that you are the true enemy of Ota who have caused a lot of damage to our image than good.
Concerning speech by Akpabio and Yayi, what is wrong in the speech tell me? Is it not true that Yewa is indeed in all the 5LG in Ogun West? They are in Ado Igbesa because they belong to Yewa traditional council presently and our people over there never complained to you people. How can you cry more than the bereaved? “Oyinbo muti oti n pa kuku”.
Let me educate our people a little bit, Ado Odo Igbesa in the past when we had Ifo Ota LG, Ado Odo Igbesa was part of Egbado south LG. They have been together without any complaints. They do not need Akpabio or Yayi to remind them that they are Awori before they know that they are Awori. Later Ado Odo Ota LG was created which joined us together. So it’s now you want to tell them their identity and some people believe that you are fighting Awori Course because they are naive. It does not make any sense. By the way, what do want to achieve and how do you want to achieve this than you to continue to rant on social media as usual and it ends there. I wouldn’t have contributed to the discussion but I continue to see some elderly people whom I feel they know better and with their contributions I came into conclusion that some people are not thinking right because they lack knowledge of the situation on ground.
When Baba Otegbola retired from Night Frank he decided to join politics and he was interested in the Senate I was a member Ogun State House of Assembly. I met Baba Otegbola for the first time at the SDP party secretariat. I was happy to meet him because Chief Osoba had already endorsed JMK for Ogun East, Late Osholake for Ogun Central and the only one left for Ogun West (Awori Egun Ketu Imago Ohori) was given to Alh Sule Onabiyi an Egba man from Ifo to make two for Egba. We set the machinery in motion. Myself, Kabiru Salako and my darling sister Alhaja Sadata who stood by us. I invited my colleagues in the Assembly and we turned the race to be race between the Executive and the Legislative. If I did not have a good relationship with my fellow brothers from Yewa it would not have been possible for us to make it.
Another lesson I want to point out here is that at the eve of the primary we had problem in Ipokia and we didn’t how to approach Chief Abioro, our Baba Chief RSO Ojolowo decided to follow us to Ipokia. We left Ota at 10pm and got to ipokia at about 1am when the two old friends met they started jokingly abusing themselves while Baba Otegbola and I sat down quietly looking at them. Chief Abioro had invited some few leaders of the delegates and gave them instruction that they should vote for us.
If baba Ojolowo had not maintained a good relationships with Egbado people he would not have been possible for him to take us there. On the other hand if we have been insulting our elders like many of you do on different loops, you can imagine someone lacking home training coming on social media that all the leaders should be retired because they are corrupt and clueless. On the day of the Primary, Chief Alani Akinde played a very courageous role by leading us the delegates and standing boldly in front of Baba Otegbola who won the primary. When I was doing this, I was in my late thirties much younger than a lot of you talking rubbish on social media.
We were building bridges across the Senatorial District while Azeem and Lamidi are busy destroying them and some people ignorantly are clapping for seeing them destroying the foundation we have laid.
Kabiesi Olota should call this people to order before they completely isolate Ota and not Awori as they are trying to make it look like because since they started this madness about Ado Odo Igbesa, I have not seen anyone from there contributing. Why are you looking for problems for Ota.
The real problem that we are facing is still there and you people are trying open another one with Yewa and you can only rant on social media no action. Nobody is taking you serious you are only exposing our weaknesses to outsiders.
On Sango-Ota issue thank God we have the present Olota as Kabiesi and the Seriki have been doing wonderfully well and applying wisdom in solving problems in Sango that peace is now established in Sango instead of listening to useless talk on social media.
Kabiyesi it is high time you make copies of the two contradicting letters from the government on Sango-Ota Obaship so that everyone will know where we are so that it will stop the useless noise on social media. The so called defenders of Awori I don’t know what you have done so far to solve the problem of Alatan of Atan Ota that have been pending for almost three years now before jumping to Ado Odo Igbesa and Yewa to fight there. The file has been on the table of Commissioner for Justice who is an egba man.
As regards 2027 race there is no problems about it. It is the legitimate right of Aworis to contest so also the Yewa too. It is not on social media that we will be discussing on it. To the best of my knowledge there are two bodies existing in Ogun West. There is Danso and there is Dasam for governorship race. At the appropriate time the leadership of both Awori and Yewa will sit down and sort it out.
As regards Awori been relegated I beg to disagree. When Baba Otegbola was active he would call meeting of Ogun West leaders to his house in GRA Ota or his house in Gbagada all the leaders will attend because he earned respect and as FHA Chairman he took care of them also.
By the way, why are you not seeing the good things Yayi is doing and appreciate. At present about 20 projects are ongoing. Itele about 6km drainage completed is about to be tiled, ICU of international standards on going at Ota General Hospital, Standard structure at Police School Idimu, roads at Abule Iroko, standard shops at Lusada market, befitting structure at Iganmode Grammar School, a befitting event center at Koro Otun. Is Yayi the first senator in Ogun west. Apart from the above, thousands of our people from this LG whom are been empowered with equipments ranging from dryer, sewing machines, welding machines, gas cookers, deep freezer etc
When I watched the video of the so call press conference I was ashamed that these are the caliber of people claiming that they represent Ota voice and you think people will take us seriously. I can see why you are complaining that Ota is being relegated. I’m sorry for the future of Ota. There is great a difference between activism and politics.
On the issue of the Awori Traditional Council, the process begins from the Legislative Arm contrary to the believe that the Governor can just proclaim it. This was the process that led to the creation of the Yewa Traditional Council while I was a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly where we lobbied our brothers from Ijebu and Egba to ensure the passage of the bill. We need to call on the two members from our Local Government to prepare a bill jointly and we should be prepared to lobby extensively to ensure the bill passes at the Assembly. I believe that is the way to go.
Kabiesi, please tell these boys to leave politics for the politicians and if you know you have better ideas all of you can come and join politics. There is no special qualifications for joining politics. I challenge those talking bad about Yayi to visit Itele road and talk bad about Yayi wether you will come out one piece.
Enough is enough. Leave Yayi alone and concentrate your efforts on Awori for Governor.
Chief Hon Lai Taiwo
Aare Onakanfo of Ota Awori land
