From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.
Rural development generally refers to the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas.
It traditionally centers on the exploitation of natural resources such as agriculture and forestry.
However, changes in global production networks and increased urbanisation have changed the character of rural areas, as increasing tourism, niche manufacturers and recreation have replaced resource extraction and agriculture as dominant economic drivers.
This has compelled governments at all levels to fashion out approach development from a wider perspective and create more focus on a broad range of development goals, rather than merely creating incentive for the rural communities.
For instance, education, entrepreneurship, physical infrastructure and social infrastructure all play an important role in developing rural communities.
Rural development programmes are usually top-down from governments, regional development agencies, Non-governmental Organisations and international development agencies.
In fact, most developed countries have very active rural
development programmes, as the main aim of the rural government policy is to develop undeveloped villages.
The rate of rural urban/ migration in Nigeria is alarming and
worrisome, as urban centres are geometrically over-populated due to dearth of social infrastructures needed to encourage and motivate the settlers to contribute to Gross Domestic Productivity.
One of such rural communities in deplorable conditions is the Olori village in Oyo-East Local Government area of Oyo State.
The riverine community has been in existence for over
a century, as the inhabitants were said to have originated from the ancient town of Oyo.
Before the creation of Osun State from the former Oyo State in 1991, the villagers were living harmoniously, with their neighbouring communities of Owu and Ife-Odan.
But shortly after the creation of Osun State, the Olori villagers maintained their origin of Oyo State, while Owu, Ife-odan and four other communities ceded to Osun State.
The matter later got to a climax in April 2008, when all efforts by Owu and Ife-Odan community leaders in Osun State, to persuade the Olori villagers to renounce its origin of Oyo State for Osun State went on deaf ears.
Angered by the uncompromising stance of Olori villagers to renounce their origin of Oyo State to Osun State and putting into consideration the fact that Olori village is located in the Forest Reserve Area and richly endowed with natural resources like gold and other tourist attractions, both Owu and Ife-Odan communities considered the option of violence, in order to force the villagers to cede to Osun State.
On that fateful day, the unsuspected villagers, who were
predominantly farmers, had gone to their farms when hoodlums, numbering about 100 and armed with dangerous weapons like guns, cutlasses and knives, invaded the village.
Many of the villagers, including the aged, were attacked and sustained serious injuries, while property estimated at several thousands of naira destroyed by the hoodlums.
One of the villagers, Jimoh Adejare, a security guard attached to the Maternity Centre beside the local government office, who just returned to his residence that fateful day after work, and was preparing to go to farm, was murdered in cold blood by the hoodlums.
Before ending their dastardly mission, the hoodlums abducted 15 of the village elders, and were held hostage for four days without food.
All the abducted elders were later rescued by policemen from Zone 11 of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
Three of the elders, who narrated their ordeals in the hands of the hoodlums, described their experience as sad and horrible.
One of them, Yekini Ayanfemi, 70, said five of his teeth were forcefully removed by the thugs with a big stick, after which he was tied with a rope like a ram and severely beaten.
“The hoodlums asked me to lie down and one of them went to the bush and brought a big stick and hit me on the cheek. It was indeed very painful. I was also tied with a rope and seriously macheted, but God did not allow the cutlass to cut me”.
Two other elders, Shadiat Oseni (60) and Kareem Olawale (80), explained how they were abducted.
Oseni said: “Immediately after abducting us, the hoodlums took us to the palace of Head of Ife-Odan community, who ordered that we be kept and tortured without food for four days. Alhaji Ajiboye, Moses Adeboye and Tafa Adegboye, all indigenes of Ife-Odan community, led the thugs to our village. On the fourth day, the head of Ife-Odan Community,
whose traditional title is ADIMULA, directed the leaders to take us to Ejigbo Divisional Police Command Headquarters, and tell the DPO that we came to invade their community”.
Pa Olawale, who narrated in tears, said the Ejigbo Divisional Police Officer turned down the allegation and refused to detain them after which they were also taken to Okefia Divisional Command at Osogbo where both the Divisional Crime Officer and the DPO refused to accept the allegations against them.
“Thank God, it was at the Zone 11 of the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Osogbo, where we regained our freedom and were saved from the hoodlums who were already determined to kill us after the Zone 11 trial. In fact, one Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ajiboye, came to our rescue, as he provided us with delicious food and ordered that four of
those who brought us be detained for wrongful and unfair allegation. The Divisional Crime Officer refused to believe that as aged as we are, we can invade a community”.
Two motorcycles and five grinding machines were reportedly snatched by the hoodlums from the village.
Also commenting, the widow of the slain security guard, Idiatu Jimoh Adejare, who was in tears, described
the murder of her husband as wicked.
Cursing the killers, Mrs Adejare said: “I am now at the mercy of God with four under aged children still in school. I have no other means of sustenance, except subsistence farming. I had not been receiving any assistance to take care of the children.’’
The crisis started when Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola were governors of Oyo and Osun states.
The two past administrations were said to have sought the intervention of the National Boundary Commission from Abuja, which ceded the naturally-endowed village to Oyo State.
Freedom Online learned that the Alao-Akala administration pledged to provide the needed infrastructures like school, primary health care delivery, potable water supply, rural electrification and canoe with rudders.
The Local Government in charge was also directed to include in its budget certain amount of money for the well-being of the villagers.
Besides the establishment of a primary school, all other pledges by the previous administration did not come into fruition.
Also, there is a river called Oba that passes through the village but which had been a threat to the villagers, especially during the rainy season, as movement to and from the community is usually hindered.
Consequently, a wooden-made local canoe was provided by the villagers, but which often failed to render the needed service during rainy season, whenever the river overflows its bank.
Barely two and a half years ago, 10 villagers reportedly drowned in the river when a canoe in which they boarded capsized.
On the ill-fated day, the villagers boarded the canoe to cross over the river to their community, when the paddle broke.
The victims were later rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention.
The incident brought the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Adeyemo, who represented Governor Abiola Ajimobi to the village on sympathy visit, while the entire members of the House of Assembly, led by the former Speaker, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, also paid a similar visit.
She hails from the village.
The deputy governor and the speaker pledged to come to the aid of the villagers by ensuring budgetary allocations for the construction of a bridge across the river, and provision of other essential needs for the downtrodden villagers.
The local government also pledged to provide another canoe to the villagers.
The local government had since fulfilled its promise but the state government is yet to fulfil its promise.
Interestingly, both the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the last administration, Chief Layiwola Lakojo, and the former Speaker, now a Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Alhaja Sunmonu, hail from the village.
