By Ralph Agbana.
Oluwafemi Iselaiye Foundation (OIF), a nonprofit and humanitarian organization, has donated the sum of N100,000 to the Ogbe-Egbe road fund. The donation was made during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ologbe of Ogbe, Oba Ampitan Kolade Orebiyi in Ogbe, a suburb community in Yagba West Local Government of Kogi State.
OIF is reputed for philanthropic services to the challenged and less-privileged in Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State. Founded by Mr Femi Daniel Iselaiye, President, F&F Trees Services, based in Ohio, United States, activities of OIF target education, health, sports, orphanage and widows.
The community had tasked Ogbe sons and daughters to make financial contributions towards tackling the deplorable road from Egbe to Ogbe, by themselves.
The self-help option became inevitable as Ogbe residents and travelers lamented being cut off from the rest of Yagba West Local Government due to the deplorable state of the roads linking them with neighbouring communities.
According to a community leader, who identified himself as Bashorun, “The road from Ogbe to Egbe has gone from bad to worse, it continues to depreciate season after season but the government is paying no attention to it. As a result of this, our women and farmers find it difficult to move their produce to Egbe on market days, the few who manage to take the risk of using the road do so at the risk of their vehicles and lives as they are daily targets of robbers.”
He added, “Our case in Ogbe has been that of total neglect, failed promises by politicians and the inability of the successive governments to pay attention to our plight, despite years of crying and entreaties”.
Hence, he said the people of Ogbe decided to take their faith in own hands.
Resorting to self-help, the only option available to them, the community tasked all sons and daughters of Ogbe to make personal sacrifices in terms of individual financial contributions with a view to confronting the hydra headed problem of the impassible road, thus saving themselves from government’s insensitivity.
Touched by the plight of the residents of Ogbe community, Mr Iselaiye, penultimate weekend, sent a delegation to Ogbe to, among other things, commend Ogbe people for their courage and patriotism and assess the present condition of the road. The delegation was also charged to report their findings, which would form the basis for further engagements of those in authority for possible action.
Urging Kogi State Government to declare a state of emergency on state roads in Yagba Federal Constituency which he described as death traps, Hon Seyi Dada, a former councillor in Yagba West Council who spoke for the delegation said Mr Iselaiye was “deeply touched” by the plight of Ogbe people occasioned by the bad road and shared their pains, hence his decision to identify with their cause. Saying Ogbe was his second home having regularly visited and interacted with residents during his days in Nigeria, Iselaiye described Ogbe people as industrious and hospitable.
He noted with sadness that the condition of the road has remained the same since independence 56 years ago, pointing out that, aside security and health risks, the economic loss to the community over the years could not be enumerated.
Iselaiye who hailed from Yagba East, but grew up in Yagba West, said the N100,000 donation should be seen as the foundation’s widow’s might to the project, which he described as capital intensive. He promised to monitor the progress of the project with a view to giving more support in the future.
He admonished the electorate in Ogbe and other communities to always vote according to their conscience and not sell their votes to the highest bidders in future elections to avoid disappointment by politicians.
The Ologbe commended the OIF delegation for the vist and Mr Iselaiye for the gesture, saying it was the first of its kind from a non-native of Ogbe.
The monarch appealed to other well placed citizens, from near and far, to emulate his passion for humanity.
The event was attended by traditional chiefs, women groups, youths and students.
Medical Outreach
Meanwhile, more than 100 residents of Itakete-Ishao and environ in Yagba South East (Oke Oyi) axis of Yagba East Council benefitted from the Free Medical Outreach, an initiative of OIF, recently. People living with various ailments such as high blood pressure, malaria fever, tooth problems, sight and other physical impairment were tested by medical experts who administered them with drugs.
Cash donations and exercise books were also distributed among pupils and the old age. The medical team is scheduled to move to Odo-Ara and Igbaruku-Oke-Eri in Yagba West Local Government in the first quarter of 2018 in continuation of the medical outreach.
Mr Iselaiye, commenting on his social media platform, reacted: “Today, we are happy to mobilize to provide some care for our people in Yagba. We at OIF are highly inspired by these beautiful words of Bill Gates: ‘All lives have equal values. We are impatient optimists, working to reduce iniquities’. “We remain optimistic we can do it.”
An aged woman with eye problem being attended to by a member of OIF-sponsored team of health workers in Itakete-Ishao
A group of women undergoing BP test
Happy pupils display exercise books distributed to them by OIF
