By Oluwatoyin Mathnuel
The good people of Ilaje nation in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have rejected been part of Ijebu State in the proposed National Assembly creation of states.
At a press conference summoned by the Ilaje indigenes on Friday at Rights House, Ikeja, Lagos, Prince Iwamitigha Raphael Irowainu, President-General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, stated that Ilaje land /Ilaje Local Government area in Ondo State should on no account be included in the proposed Ijebu state.
“We re-iterate that the present Ilaje Local Government area should be retained intact in the present Ondo.State.
“We use this medium to re-dress the injustice done to Ilaje in 1976 by returning the above-named settlements, which were formerly in old Okitipupa Division, to Ondo State.
“In the light of the foregoing, we are hereby calling on Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa of Ondo State and as the Chief Security Officer of the state to protect the Ilaje Communities on border line with Ogun State as there have been severe threat from some officers from Ogun State in collaboration with some unscrupulous security agencies to undermine the protection of lives and properties of our people such community include Atijere, Ugboedun, Irokun, Ayetumara, Obinehin etc,” he said.
Prince Irowainu went down into memory lane and recalled that on January 1, 1914, the northern and southern Nigeria were amalgamated into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria by Sir. Frederick Authur Lugard (Later Lord Lugard).
The President General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide stated that this major political development was followed by a complete re-arrangement and restructuring of the administrative set-up which led to the creation of the southern provinces, namely Abeokuta, Benin, Calabar, Ibadan, Oyo, Ondo and Warri.
According to him “it is pertinent to state here that Ondo province came into being through government notice No. 99 published in Gazette No. 67 volume 2 of 23rd December, 1915, the Ondo Province emerged from the merging of the them Ekiti and Ondo divisions.
“Subsequently, four administrative divisions were created to constitute the new province. They were Ondo, Owo Ekiiti and Okitipupa Divisions. In 1968, the then Ondo province of the western state was further divided into nine divisions, namely, Akure, Ondo, Owo, Okitipupa, Akoko, Ekiti South, Ekiti Central, Ekiti North and Ekiti West.
“In February 1976, the then Ondo province was created as a state, that is, the present Ondo state of Nigeria.
“It is instructive to point out that through the aforementioned government notice No 99 contained in Gazette No 67 volume 2 of 23rd December, 1915, Ijebu Province which had earlier been created in January 1915 through government notice No 11 of that year contained in volume 2 of 21st of January 1915 was abolished and subsequently merged with Abeokuta province.”
He stressed that the former Ondo Province, which he said was created into the present Ondo State, the Abeokuta Province, made up of Egba, Ijebu and Egbado Divisions, formed the basis of creation of Ogun State in 1976.
He added that it is “very transparent from the brief historical facts given above that Okitipupa division and indeed any other part of old Ondo province had no administrative and political affinity with the Ijebu to justify the alleged inclusion of Ilaje land or any part of Ilaje Local Government Area in the Proposed Ijebu State.Our association politically and administratively.
“It has been with old Ondo province and the current Ondo state. Culturally, The Ilaje, Ikale, Apoi, Ondo, Idanre, Owo etc. have many things in common.
“We have been linked together administratively over the years. In the desire for the creation of states and local government areas, we have always shared common aspirations.
“The desire is that all these entities should stay together in the present Ondo State.
“As far as we are aware, the move to include Ilaje land or any part of Ilaje local government area in the proposed Ijebu state does not enjoy the support of any section or kingdom in Ilaje land.”
He noted that in the current ongoing state and local government creation proposed before the National Assembly, they could confirm that there was never any request to include Ilaje land in the proposed Ijebu state.
He stressed that if they had wanted such demand, they could have submitted such desire to the committee on the proposal of state and local government areas creation at the National Assembly.
“We wish to stress that we do not have any objections to the creation of the proposed Ijebu state. If approved.
“We, however want to make it abundantly clear that we have not mandated any group(s), person(s), organization(s), body/bodies etc within or without the area to demand on our behalf to be included in the proposed Ijebu State or any other proposed state of whatever name called.
“We affirm that our consent was not sought on such a far reaching political decision and arrangement. For the avoidance of doubt, we shall under the law resist vehemently, any attempt to include Ilaje land in the proposed Ijebu state or any other proposed state of whatever name called.
“The Ijebu can have their state, but we do not wish to be part of it. That is all we are saying. Furthermore, we are using this medium to appeal to the federal government to ensure that, Ilaje town and villages which were merged with the present Ogun State in 1976 are returned to their kith and kin in Ondo State as advised by the Irikefe panel on the creation of states and boundary adjustment in 1975.
“The affected villages and town which are mainly Ilaje before the creation of states in 1976 are: Itebu Manuwa, Ajegunle, Ayetumara, Igboedu, Obinehin, Arijan and others,” President Irowaini concluded .
The Director of information and publicity Egbe Omo Ilaje World wide; a professor at University of Lagos Mr Babatunde Eniola Emmanuel and the Ondo state PYA leader Comrade Olabisi Abogun women leader Ilaje Progressive Youth Ambassador coupled with other indigenous citizen of Ilaje nation who had brief interview with INSIGHT GLOBAL NEWS editor insisted Ilaje as a nation would rather preferred to bear Ilaje state rather than the proposed Ijebu state for they share nothing in common socially, culturally and the likes
