By Kayode Adeoti
No fewer than 12 communities in Ekiti Local Government Area have accused the Kwara State Government of favouritism and causing chaos between Osi and its neighbouring towns.
This development was coming on the heels of crisis that engulfed Osi, Isare-Opin and some other communities over the name given to the arm of Kwara State University (KWASU) campus cited in the area.
The Alaaya of Iaye Ikerin, Oba Joseph Ayodele at a press conference held recently alleged that the state government created crisis between Osi and her sister communities.
According to him, the communities have been living in peace and harmony until government brought KWASU campus to the council and decided to name it after Osi.
Oba Ayodele however faulted the state government for initially naming the campus after Osi, claiming the community had no claim to the portion of land where the school is cited.
“The campus is being built on the 2,000 hectares of land belonging to Isare-Opin, Ikerin-Opin and Ajuba village,” the monarch stressed.
In a speech tagged; “save us from slavery and attempt to annihilate us on our ancestral land through provocation, thuggery and physical assault,” Oba Ayodele added that the remote cause of the prevailing crisis is the illegal ploughing of cashew fruits and nuts by members of Osi community.
“We want to say categorically that this ugly situation was caused by the Kwara State Government. These cashew plantation and other commercial trees have been there on the same land since time immemorial, Osi people have never gone there to harvest them until the issue of acquiring land for the location of KWASU came up.”
When contacted, the Olosi of Osi, Oba Saliu AbdulKareem Adasofegbe expressed surprise over the allegations, stressing that Opin communities should endeavour to embrace peace in order to ensure development in the area. According to him, KWASU site was named after Osi because the community merited it.
“The court has thrown out all the allegations levelled against me and the government, if they are not satisfied, they should appeal, that is my view,” the Olosi submitted.
He further condemned the people of Opin over the assertion that government has created permanent war by siting the institution in their region saying it should rather stand as a subject of development to the communities at large.
Similarly, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede last night, denied the allegations, adding that government is more concerned about bringing feasible development to every nooks and crannies of the state.
“The allegations are unfounded. Government is concerned about even development across the state. It does not favour one community over the other. What is important is for everyone in the state to rise up and work for t peace,” he stressed.
