Ereke Day Festival Has Boosted Our Communal Efforts - Adesina
The president General Ikenne Development Association has identified the annual Ikenne Ereke Day festival as an event that has boosted communal effort in the ancient community of Ikenne.
Speaking during an interview with an outspoken Union Leader turned community leader, Aare Adedoyin Adeleke said the Annual Ikenne Ereke Day Festival has redefined communal efforts by extension translating to a harvest of infrastructural intervention in the home of the late stage Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Excerpts :
Q: From your own point of view do you think IDA is working towards building on the legacies left behind by it's founding fathers?
A: Yes, we are building on the foundation laid by the founding fathers of IDA and we are surpassing their track record. This is so because we have an Executive Council in the IDA that are high-tech so we have continued to look outside the box, restrategise to prepare ourselves for the future.
Q: Do you agree with the fact that the Annual Ikenne Ereke Day has enhanced unity of purpose in Ikenne?
A: There is no other program that can unite the people except Ikenne Ereke Day Festival because the event attract indigenes of the town both home and Diaspora, we all converged and give account of what we have done in the year under review.
Q: The multi million-naira civic center is one of the project of the IDA with the harsh economic condition of the country, how did IDA get millions of naira to finance the project?
A: First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to Almighty Allah for giving us the wisdom, foresight and understanding to do our best for the community. The foundation of the Civic Center was laid in 2015 and since then there has been struggle on how the structure will be built but when we came on board we felt that there is the need for us to live a lasting legacy for the community, Ogun State and Nigeria at large and when the project is completed it would be used by Government parastatals, Cooperate bodies, NGO, indigenes and non indigenes for wedding, birthday and anniversary.
We now sat down and look at how we could bring the project to a reality, we felt that if we should solicit for funds the people may not want to turn up because of the economic condition in the country.
We came up with the idea of Private Placement Memorandum (PPM) for only indigenes of the town and we ensured that outsiders does not benefit from it because the project is our heritage and it would boost our communal effort.
We also look at donations from some quarters and interest free loans so we registered with the (CAC) Ereke Civic Center Limited which is just a appendage of Ikenne Development Association which is a non governmental association but you can put a special vehicle purpose that can assist in funding non governmental organization.
That is what we did and like I said earlier, we have people with high tech in executive council of the IDA that are thinking ahead of time, God on our side, some people came to our rescue through donations to ensure that all these are achieved.
Q: Unemployment is one of the challenges confronting Nigeria and Ikenne as a community, does the IDA have the intention of given hope to the youth?
A: IDA is a non-profit organization, so there is a limit to what we can do for the people, yes we have some staffs that are working with the IDA but we don't have enough capital to empower small scale businesses or even establish a manufacturing industry.
It is on record that IDA is a foremost association and it is one of the best Community Development Association in Nigeria as regards project conceptualization and implementation.
Having said that, we have continued to appeal to the State Government that white collar jobs is not the way to go with recent development in the country there is a wider opportunity through agricultural revolution, we will be able to produce for local consumption and even export and get foreign exchange.
With this, job opportunities would be created and the government will generate more IGR.
The idle hands is the devil's workshop an individual that is unemployed can easily be lured into crime and criminalities but when the youths are productively engaged, the government will spend less on security.
Yes, we have been appealing to government to empower the youths by extension give them a brighter and rewarding future, the little resources we have is been used to undertake project that will be of benefit to all and sundry.
Q: I will like to know if the IDA intend to emulate Late Chief Awolowo by establishing industrial estates across the length and breath of Ikenne?
A: As I have said early IDA is a non profit making organization. Even the Civic Center project is a special vehicle purpose project aimed at generating funds for the sustainability of the IDA by extension embark on laudable projects for the community, Construct roads, drill boreholes, provides solar power supply among others.
Q: What is your message to the people of Ikenne?
A: People that are united are very difficult to be defeated, so all of us must close ranks, there is no way we will not cross each other's path whenever we have offended one another we need to forgive each other and move ahead, with this we would be positioning Ikenne on an Eldorado.
Q: Lastly, Oba Onakade have reigned for twelve years on the throne, what is your position as regards this development?
A: In any sport competition, an individual must emerged winner and when that happens others need to congratulate the winner, above all we need to imbibe the spirits of sportsmanship in Ikenne, at times you lose in a competition and at another time you also emerged winner, that is life for you.
We need to eschew the issue of litigation, if we come together and unite we will be able to move mountains, we all need to come together and move Ikenne forward.
