"African countries do not lack ideas, they lack the political will and commitment to implement ideas necessary for changing their societies"- Ike Odimegu
The way Chief Adelabu Adebayo rolled out his plans to tackle the perennial issue of urban environmental crisis in Oyo State during his last interview on Splash FM starkly highlighted his understanding of the situation on ground and portrayed him as one who has a card up his sleeve.
Urban environmental crisis is a global phenomenon. It is estimated that by 2025, two third of the world population will live in high urban areas. As the population mushrooms, it will come with the attendant problems of how the government will satisfy the needs of the growing population, tackle food insecurity, unemployment and other challenges.
When population multiplies geometrically and food conversely grow arithmetically, there is bound to be a precarious situation the economists tagged "Malthusian catastrophe" This was copiously alluded to by Chief Adebayo Adelabu in the said interview. He did not just talk the talk, he provided solutions to the depressing challenges.
Chief Adelabu Adebayo expanded the nest of his discourse to cover innovative plans to enhance food security using modern technology. He said Agriculture is a major employer of active labour force and great contributor to Gross Domestic Product, hence, should be properly focussed. Part of his Agric transformation strategies is to rehabilitate the feeder roads for improved access to the farm produce and for ease of transportation. He envisages a speed up in farming process that will necessitate a shift from the unproductive slash- and -burn -system to a technology -driven one. He admitted that the present administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi has taken a quantum leap in addressing some of the issues, but promised to leverage on it and make Agriculture a cardinal focus of his government by 2019.
The Agbaakin Parakoyi of Ibadanland also explored the underlying causes of poverty and weighed the prospects for inclusive and equitable development under his coming regime. He maintained that as a successful entrepreneur that has never owed his teeming employees a month salary over the years, he will surely create more jobs if voted into power and ensure a steady payment of workers salary without any let or hindrance.
The major thrust of the interview was what Chief Adebayo Adelabu dubbed "uneven geographic distribution of population". He bemoaned a parlous situation where more than five people will be overcrowded in a single room all in the quest for enjoying urban life. He said, since there is insufficient accommodation in the urban areas to meet the demands of the large scale migration of people, there is an urgent need to reverse the trend through an effective policy shift on mass housing.
Chief Bayo Adelabu frowned at the imperilled health and poor quality of life of the citizens living under the blighted structures in low income neighbourhood due to overstressed existing facilities provided by the government. He mentioned places like Beere, Ayeye, Oopo etc to illustrate his points. As a person who also suffered the heat while growing up, he surely knows how painful it can be to be packed in a single room like pilchard in a barrel.
For the sake of emphasis, in 2003, Lagos State Government embarked on what is called "Slum neighborhood incremental improvement programme'. The program has recorded significant mileage and is worthy of emulation. Chief Bayo Adelabu touched on the instances where Lagos module has been a huge success and how it has largely solved the problems of insufficient accommodation, overcrowding , increase spread of communicable diseases, undue pressure on existing government facilities, waste generation etc. Frankly speaking, Chief Adebayo Adelabu stated that Oyo state can also borrow a leaf from the Lagos success story on mass housing and make a workable PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan) that will not remain just a plan on paper but a stark reality.
Visceral reactions of the myopic critics.
Barely after the beautiful policy analysis and presentation of a detailed developmental program he has in store for the people of Oyo state, the politically sponsored elements have started to savagely critique the noble plans. They called the plan for mass housing "impractical and unrealistic". They weaved specious premises to justify their shaky conclusions. Their grandstanding view is that" if people were relocated to decongest the thick population, what happens to their ancestral homes they have been familiar with over the years.?
It was Albert Einstein who posited that "nothing happens unless something is moved". As a platonic realist, I hold that If we desire a positive change, people should prepare to make a necessary sacrifice.
In the early eighties, the Akere family in Oritamerin moved enmass to Ijokodo area, a suburb and just emerging settlement at the period to arrest insufficient accommodation the family members were facing in Oritamerin. The first of the settlers at Ijokodo considered it a tragic burden initially, but today, they live to thank their fate for taking that hard choice. The scariest moment is always just before you start.
The Next level.
As we are moving to the next level in Oyo state, it is pertinent to note that, progress can only come when the citizens are in full support of the government policy and programmes. If we can effect the change we wished for ourselves, there is nothing stopping us. We will surely reach the promised land.
Very soon, Oyo maa penkele better.
By Oluwatobi Adisa
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