Ibogun: Mixed blessings for Obasanjo's kinsmen
By all standard President Olusegun Obasanjo is a wealthy man. But does his wealth reflect in the lives of members of his family and his ancestral home of Ibogun Olaogun? If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. But for the people of Obasanjo's town, this will only be a rare opportunity. Sunday Vanguard tries to capture how the people carry on with poverty.
She wore a forlorn look sitting by her bedside. Clad in a multi-coloured, ankara fabric with an inscription 'Continuity Secures Our Democracy' and the photograph of President Olusegun Obasanjo boldly imprinted on the local fabric, this old woman held a bowl of tea from which she sipped at intervals. Her look does not reflect any sign of good living. If anything, her look betrays the message of hope, which the inscription on her cloth suggests. Neither does hope of democracy have meaning in the living condition of the old woman. Instead, she wore an outlook of extreme poverty. This is the mood at Ibogun Olaogun, the ancestral home of President Obasanjo.
The woman in this picture is no other than President Obasanjo's niece, Mrs. Adefunke Adebayo whose family appellation as common among the Yoruba is 'Iya Ibadan'. She only survives on the grace of her daughter, Mrs. Ladun Onagade, who is a petty trader in the community. Just of recent her living condition was given a face-lift with the purchase of a mattress to put head on. This was made possible through the help of a boy in the family. Before then she was sleeping on a mat. Even inside her room, clothes littered everywhere. The only evidence of modern life was a ceiling fan in the room. The means of livelihood of Iya Ibadan, who is over 80 years, was selling of pap (ogi), which she had stopped since last year.
Just adjacent Obasanjo's house too was another niece of his selling pepper, tomatoes, onion, okro, and all others by the roadside. She is Mrs. Asabi Adebayo in her either late 70s or early 80s. When asked if the president was not aware of her living condition, the woman simply said that her palpable state of poverty is glaring. To her, the family has not benefited any significant thing for producing the number one citizen of the nation. 'Each time General comes around, we, the family members, go to his house to greet him. There we sat like any other people and served food when they prepare one. If we have something to do like buying clothe he will assist us. And during December period, he will give each family Christmas gifts like food stuff and N10,000 or N5,000. That is all. Only God can turn our fortunes around,' Mrs Adedayo said.
Mrs Ladun Onagade, a member of the family, on her own, waxed philosophical as she said, 'there is nothing so special in being the family of the first citizen of the nation.' She recalled how the family paid visit to Abuja on two different occasions. The expectation of the villagers was that on return they will come back fulfilled, but they got it wrong. Nothing of such, they came as they went. 'The way people think is that being a family of Mr. President we lack nothing, but this is not true. Our lives have not changed to what we are used to. The only thing is that some members of the family have received one form of assistance or the other from Baba,' Ladun said.
Indeed, many members of the family are still living as if they do not have somebody to provide succor for them. They are not even happy with Obasanjo. 'You can see that there is poverty all over the village. Even we, the family members, who are closer to him, have not seen any significant change in our life style. Mind you if you are sleeping under the same roof with Baba, that does not mean that you will benefit from him,' a source that is a family member told Sunday Vanguard at the village. The source gave instances of how the president has refused to help the family members. According to our source, there was a time one member of the family, Remi Olufela, who has graduated for twelve years without any tangible job, was handed over to the president. When the president asked him where he would like to work, Olufela joyfully told the president that he needed an employment with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Rather than help, the president simply called him a thief. For one year and two months Olufela was staying in the Presidential Villa waiting for employment until a cousin of Obasanjo, Mr. Omolaja Adebayo, confronted him over the matter before help could come.
The source added that another member of the family helped the Nigeria Police to secure a land to building a police station and quarters in the village during the tenure of former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun. The man, according to our source, along with a contractor bidded for the contract, and on the verge of approving the N42million worth of contract, President Obasanjo was said to have stopped the approval of the contract to the family member on the basis that the man was not a contractor.
' You see I don't go to his house again. What is the need in that when the man is not willing to help? When he comes home he moves around the village and sees me in front of the house. What he simply does is to greet me and nothing more. People do say if it were to be other parts of the country our situation would have changed for better but poverty is our lots. You see the villagers at times abuse us that we cannot get anything from him. But each time we ask him for a little thing, he calls us names.
Some members of the family believe that 'Obasanjo was only born here'. Their prayer: 'Ours is that he went there in peace, he should return in peace even if he does nothing for us.'
If the President's family members are complaining, other villagers are not faring better, even though it's population is less than 1000 people. There are families who could not even boast of N500 as savings at home much less keeping money at bank. They live from hand to mouth, a situation that is not only peculiar to Ibogun Olaogun alone but also a phenomenon rampant in Nigeria. Most of the houses in the community are in bad shape. Even some parts of house roof have been removed yet people still live in them. There are less than five houses with toilet facilities in the village. What is obtainable here is a situation where people make do with bush or refuse site to excrete, until Ibogun Olaogun Development Association (IODA) through a community efforts built about three public toilets in the village. So, if they are to ease themselves, they must leave their houses to a public toilet some distance away. The source of livelihood of majority of the villagers is farming while some women engage in petty trading. The joy of the community is the availability of electricity and portable water.
Ibogun Olaogun, a largely agrarian community people are quite aware of the importance of education. Hence, they strive hard to ensure that their wards are educated to a certain level despite their living conditions.
Last Tuesday afternoon, a group of pupils were pursuing a grasshopper. It was a frenzy look. Some of the pupils were in rubber sandals while majority were in their bathroom slippers with others walking barefooted and running around the overgrown grasses. Among these pupils were those with no uniform while some others wore torn uniform. One had his bathroom slippers pressed upon in the rush and cut off. He held his damaged slippers and continuing pursuing the grasshopper. At the end, one pupil caught the living nature. At the corridor of the classrooms block, there was a student vomiting. Her teachers rallied around her for help while her friends washed away the vomit. The corridor was the office of the Head Teacher, Mr. J. A. Fasina.
There is only one primary school meant for the community's use and other adjourning villages. The school, Baptist Day School, has been in existence since 1949 and is directly opposite President Olusegun Obasanjo's house with 256 pupils and eight teachers.
There are three structures in the compound. One of the structures has been in existence since the school was founded in 1949. Unfortunately, the wind had blown off its roof and has been unused as a result. The other structure was the one constructed by the Universal Basic Education (UBE). The block consists of three classrooms and offices. However, the contractor handling the project for over a year now had abandoned the building that has reached 80 percent completion level. As a result, its windows are dropping and facilities are going in bad shape. The only structure in use was the two-classroom block built by Ogun State Primary Education Board. But here the learning condition is near zero. The two classrooms are not just sufficient for the seven classes 'CKG, primary 1-6. To remedy the situation, two classes are combined into one; KG and primary one, while primary 2 and 3 make do with another class. The three remaining classes, primary 4,5, and 6 are located at the school annex. The annex is the First Baptist Church, Ibogun Olaogun. The church auditorium houses the primary six pupils while primary 4 and 5 receive their instruction in a wooden shed under the tree in front of the church cemetery. The shed serves as the children church on Sundays.
The modus operandi of learning here is that a blackboard is divided into the number of classes-two. And when one teacher is teaching one class the other teacher would either be writing notes on the board for pupils to copy or pupil doing assignment. The distraction is evident. ' We have to make do with what we have. At least we cannot use our salary to build classrooms and buy chairs,' a teacher told our reporter. One of the teachers said that when she was posted to the village, he was so happy at least he would be teaching in the president's village. Her joy was short-lived the day she brought her letter of deployment to the Head Teacher of the primary school. That day, she met the head teacher under the tree. When she resumed, there was no table and chair for her and she had to make do with the pupil's own. Since the day of her deployment to the community, experience has not been too good only that ' I derive joy in imparting knowledge on the pupils.'
Unfortunately, while the school could not boast of good learning environment, its playing field has been playing host to many functions holding in the community. The school's pitch serves as heliport for the president's air shopper when he comes around. Also the school is being used for the Olaogun Day Celebration that attracts dignitaries to the community.
One saving grace for the community to educate its populace is the free education at the primary level. Many residents of the village avail themselves this golden opportunity to send their wards to school. After the primary school at Ibogun Olaogun, the pupils proceed on their secondary education at Ibogun Egbeda, some kilometers away.
Indeed, the inhabitants of Olaogun value their well-being, but they are somehow handicapped to take proper care of their health situation because of the poverty level as peculiar to other communities. Though there is existence of a Primary Healthcare Centre in the village, but the people here prefer patronizing the traditional means of treatment.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that few years ago, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency was established in the community and serves the 36 villages in the Ibogun area. The Centre handles two categories of patients. One is the normal one applicable in the government hospitals where patients obtain a registration card at a cost of N50 or more for treatment when the need arises. The other patients' scheme is the National Health Insurance Scheme. Here, prospective patients are asked to pay N120 monthly. It was learnt that when the programme was introduced in the village, about 7000 were registered as NHIS members. Initially, the community felt Obasanjo has brought a free health care scheme to the community and this informed their rush for the programme. Hence, about 7000 members of the community registered for the scheme. But when the people were told that they would be paying N120 monthly, they never showed up at the Health Centre again. 'It took us a lot of time when I came here to embark on sensitization programme of the community on the benefits inherent in the programme. As at last count, only 100 people from all the Ibogun villages are now fully registered as NHIS members. Even some will only remember that they have not paid for sometime when they come to the clinic for treatment, that is when they pay their outstanding,' Dr. Enitan Oketope, who heads the Health Care Centre said last week.
Dr. Oketope noted that many a times the residents of Ibogun remember the clinic when their situation gets out of hand. 'The situation is so pathetic that people don't come for treatment when they notice that they are ill. They believe so much in the use of local herbs and when this fails and can no longer handle the situation, they rush to the Centre for treatment. So what we have is a case of hospital handling complications,' Oketope said, attributing this to poverty. It was further learnt that there are occasions that patients who come for treatment could not even afford the bill, which in most cases are below N500, and when payment of hospital bills turned into appeals, they are let go. This inability of being able to pay as little informed the decision of some residents to patronize local herbs.
While many residents of Ibogun Olaogun have not individually and directly benefited from Chief Obasanjo's rein as president of Nigeria, his influence has changed the face of the community. Apart from the president building his own castle at the village, he also built an hostel, Heritage Hostel, for the use of Olabisi Onabanjo University College of Engineering students. This in no small measure has attracted students to the community. As a way of providing job opportunities for the villagers, Obasanjo located one of his poultry farms in the village and as at last week Wednesday the president has acquired over 150 acres of land for farming purposes which when it begins operation it will bring expansion into the community.
Through the president's efforts, health care services are made available to the 34 cluster villages that make up Ibogun. Health Minister, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo in August 2003, commissioned the Primary Health Care Centre at Ibogun. This has eased the burden of the community having to take sick people to Ifo, a major town far away from the village for treatment. Also most of the money used for the development of the community are realized through the annual Olaogun Day which normally attracts prominent people in the society who donate at the event; a thing that is made possible through the influence of Mr. President. Proceeds realized from the event have been used for building public toilets, construction of culverts, establishing of small scale industries like Fufu Factory, Bakery and all other developmental purposes. Before a borehole was dug in the village, President Obasanjo ran water pipes from his farm to the village. This has reduced the problems of fetching water from the stream. Even with the small population of the village, the president has facilitated the citing of a modern police station with quarters for men of the force. The architectural design of the station and its quarters can hardly be found in any urban cities across Nigeria.
Conscious of the abject poverty in which residents of the President's village contend with, efforts are now being put in place to alleviate their sufferings. There is now OBJ/OGD Farmers Empowerment Scheme. The scheme, which is in collaboration with the All Farmers' Association of Nigeria (AFAN) allows residents to obtain a loan for farming. To be a beneficiary of the programme, applicant needs to obtain a Beneficiary Registration Form from the community and pay 10 percent of the loan he/she is applying for. For instance, if an applicant intends to secure a N50,000 loan he/she has to pay N5,000 deposit at the Nigeria Agricultural Development Bank in Ota and when the loan exceeds a certain amount collateral is needed. However, Sunday Vanguard learnt that when the idea of the scheme was brought into the village almost every body obtained the registration form but the inability to pay the deposit which starts from N5,000 upward hindered many from benefitting as they could not get the deposit while few went borrowing. The registration for the poverty programme started in May and is due to end in July.
Mr. Ezekiel Ayinde Okunola, a former clearing agent in Lagos is full of hope that the scheme would when implemented bring relief to his life. In January this year, he returned to the village when life was unbearable for him in Lagos. 'Things were not going on well with my clearing agent work in Lagos and this informed my decision to return to farm in the village. Here I have since January been battling to make ends meet until I was told about this programme which made me to obtain the form with the hope of securing N50,000 loan to start cassava and fishing farming. Having obtained the form, I had to wait for weeks to source for the N5,000 deposit.
Obasanjo has done well for us ' Adelani
AYODELE OJO
Obasanjo has done well for us - Adelani
By Ayodele Ojo
Elder Julius Adeyemi Adelani, is a cousin to President Olusegun Obasanjo. President of Ibogun Olaogun Development Association, Adelani, who doubles as second-in-command to the village's head speaks on what the community has benefited from having the nation's number one citizen as their son.
How do you feel producing the president of Nigeria?
Everybody feels happy the village produces such an eminent person. As far as we are concerned, he has done excellently well for us. And we can name some of the things he has done for us.
So, you are proud to have him as your president.
Yes, very very proud of him.
What specific things has he done for the community that makes you proud of him as your son?
Ever before he became the president, you know he was formerly Head of State, during that time there was no electricity. He provided electricity for us. He gave us portable water from the borehole in his farm. Also, when he became the president, he has built more boreholes to serve us well and even rebuilt some houses for their owners particularly the dilapidating ones.
What other things has he done to really alleviate the poverty level of the community?
He has made us to come together to form an association of Ibogun Olaogun Development Association. Once in a year, the association comes together. That is what we call Ibogun Olaogun Day which comes up every 26th of December. Through the event we have some philanthropists that give us money for development of our community. You can see the wad under construction there, the money we are using to do the work is through the association. Sometimes, he (Obasanjo) adds his money to it. He has built cocoa industry, bakery, and gari processing mill in this community. He also bought buses to ease movement of women. During Christmas time, he sends gift items to the community. The same thing he does during Ileya Festival.
But before he became the president, what was the situation like in the community?
Before he became president, only very few of us come home because this place was a real typical village but immediately he became the president, he advised us to gather ourselves together for any possible development association.
What about the health facilities?
We have a good hospital there. Before that one, he has got his own personal hospital. And now, he brought the government's own. With all these combined, the community can boast of good heath care delivery system.
You are saying he has really helped the community?
Yes of course. In fact, we can follow him to any length. Even though people may be talking of PDP, it is because of him many of us are supporting PDP. The PDP itself did not do anything for us. But he himself is the only one doing these things for us with his personal money.
Are you saying that government has not done anything for your community?
If the government is really out to help us, there should be some certain money set aside for our community. But nothing like that. What he has done for us are from his personal purse because he has his own business. The only thing government has done for us is this electricity and pipe borne water and that was when he was the Head of State. Even then, he did much of the water project.
To what extent has the community benefited from poverty alleviation programme of the Federal Government?
It appears now that the NAPEP wants to give us some loan and that is still largely in the pipeline. But NAPEP is related to party affairs, though I have not received the money but it is in the pipeline.
It seems you are a comfortable man. But are there no people who cannot afford to feed themselves?
If I say I am comfortable, it is through the help of God. Nothing is given to me to make me comfortable, except whatever is done for the entire community in the village.
But do you believe that there is poverty is the community?
Yes, of course. There is poverty only that it is not as rampart as before. There have been some changes especially through the amenities provided for us, because if he didn't give us electricity this place would have been very backward. The same thing could also be said of water, which is now accessible to us. Roads too have helped in easy transportation of our farm produce.
What about school?
We have primary school and a secondary school nearby but not within the village. The secondary school serves all the entire Ibogun Community consisting of about 34 Villages. This was built through his personal effort. The Olabisi Onabanjo University College of Engineering we have here in Ibogun might not have perhaps been sited here if not for the factor of President Olusegun Obasanjo. That would have been in Ijebu Igbo because there is no way it would have freely come here.
The issue of loan, how much is NAPEP giving?
The amount given as loan ranges between N50,000 to N1 million depending on individual economic status. This is because you have to make some deposit before you are considered for the loan. As for me applying for N250,000, I deposited N25,000.
Those seeking for N50,000 are to deposit N5,000. But in our own association, Ibogun Olaogun Development Association, we have helped those that are not able to pay the deposit. We paid into the bank and we are hopeful that when the loan is ready we would all have our bargains.
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