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Yewas Are Not Minority In Ogun State – Yayi

First Bank Nigeria

The Senate Committee Chairman on Local Content, Senator Solomon Adeola aka Yayi has said that the people of Yewa in Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun state are not a minority tribe as generally believed as it is internal and international political boundaries that had seperated the people into different countries, states and local governments thus depriving it of contiguous block population.

Delivering a paper titled “Sustainable Development of Yewaland :The Role of Accountability in Governance”   over the weekend in London as part of the Yewa Conference organized by Yewa Descendants Union(YDU) in United Kingdom and Ireland, the Yewa born senator  stated that it is unfortunate that international and national conspiracies have both reduced the geographical area of Yewa land to what presently obtains in Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun State whereas many of them are located outside the country and beyond Ogun West Senatorial District in Ogun State.

“Internationally a large number of Yewa people reside on the other side of Benin Republic where Ipokia, Yewa South, Yewa North and Imeko- Afon LGAs share boundary and nationally where Yewa people shares boundaries at Imeko-Afon with Oyo State in the north, Abeokuta North and Yewa North in the East. Also Yewas are split by boundaries at Yewa North boundary with Abeokuta North, Yewa South boundary with Ewekoro, Ifo and Ado Odo Ota LGAs. It is also common knowledge that there is a large population of Yewa people in 4 wards in Oke- Ogun area of Abeokuta North and Ibara /Oke Ilewo area of Abeokuta South” he stated.

Given this scenario and based on the 2006 Census figures, the different population figures among the ethnic groups of Ogun state based on senatorial districts at the detriment of Yewa people are by far compensated for by all the Yewas not in the current 4 LGAs of Ogun West, as Yewaland was “originally far bigger than what now obtains in Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun state”.

Senator Adeola stated that the absence of accountability in governance is partly responsible for the marginalization and low development of the supposed ‘minority’ Yewa areas in Ogun state as virtually all successive governments since the creation of the state have not been accountable to the people of Yewaland in terms of sustainable development while development has so far favoured Ogun East and West as governors from these districts mostly tried to be accountable to them in terms of development projects over the years.

While attributing lack of accountability in governance to Yewaland resulting in marginalization and underdevelopment to the fact that Yewa and indeed Ogun West senatorial district has not produced any governor in the 42 year history of the state, the senator who aspire to contest the 2019 governorship election said if Yewas get the governorship position in 2019, it shall be accountable to all by developing all parts of Ogun state in an even manner.

Earlier on, the President of YDU, UK and Ireland in a welcome address said the theme of this year Conference” Yewaland of Our Dream: Harnessing Thoughts, Expectations and Contributions from Diaspora” was borne out of the fact that “It is not enough for those of us who are privileges to live in Diaspora to moan about the state of development at home….but we need to be proactive in supporting the government and proffer reasonable solutions to government.

Other resource persons and dignitaries at the event include Rt. Hon. Suraju Adekunbi, the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Professor Rahman Bello, Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Tope Poopola of federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta , Prince Gboyega Isiaka,  Oba Lukmoan Agunbiade, Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom who represented the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland and Chairman Ogun State Traditional Council Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, Mr. Lekan Asuni, the Managing Director of Glaxo Smithkline Phamaceuticals, Mayor Rotimi Adebari, the first elected black mayor of Ireland and Engr. Idowu Adejumo and Adviser to Oronna Ilaro Festival.

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