KOLADE AKINJO STANDS OUT. It is nauseating to either read or hear from the mischievous elements that Kolade Akinjo did nothing while working with Obasanjo as one of his aids. While I do not mean to make case for Akinjo Kolade Victor, I wish to use this medium to say the little I know about this young Akinjo. Yes, prior to his emergence as a Special Assistant to the then President Obasanjo, most people in Ilaje including myself, did not know Akinjo, let alone people from other place. What I think was responsible is either one or all of the following submissions: (1) It was probably bcos he did not grow up at home(Ilaje). (2) Probably bcos Kolade was also not a politician before he was picked. (3) Probably bcos he was not a noise making or a proud person. My first contact with him, like I had said in one other tread sometimes ago, was when we went to the Aso Rock, Abuja, for the first Niger-Delta Youth Summit, Kolade Akinjo was so wonderful the way he related with every youth that came. I think I dont need to dwell much on this as I make bold to say that, nobody could have performed better than him, especially if it were to be the proud type as most people are known for, whose ego, even littler office would inflate to feel superior to others. Some people have been making noise on the street that Kolade did not do anything while he was there, yet they could not have been responsive and caring the way Kolade did the day we visited the Aso Rock as said above, despite the fact that Kolade Akinjo was not a politician before he was picked. If it were to be some of our people, they would have hid under the premisse that nobody, nor a community nor a party was instrumental to his been picked. In spite all these probabilities above, I can still recollect some of what Kolade Akinjo did to assist the people of Ilaje/Ese-Odo in particular and Ondo state people in general while with the President. Kolade was always at hand to assist the people who had difficulties in meeting the President or even to get to the Aso Rock. He provided transformers to his community during his time with OBJ. He gave and still giving cash empowerment to the aged in his community. He roofed all the aged houses as well, in his community. He assisted some of our youths including Banji Okunomo, Felix Ebutegbo and others to South Africa for non violent training. He influenced the formation of Youth Directorate of NDDC in 2001.(I refer anyone to This Day newspaper of 22/ 2/2001. Successful lobbying for an independent Federal Ministry of Youth Development. Supported the establishment of Presidential Consultative Stakeholders’ Forum on Niger Delta under President Olusegun Obasanjo; and gave unfettered access to Ilaje/Ese-Odo Delegates. Intervened in progressive politics of stability of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) which produced people like Segun Olaleye, Philip Suaibu, Tony Nwoye, Daniel Ojeh, Femi Oshabinu and Jude Imagwe. Most of them are now legislative warriors at different parliaments in Nigeria. Introduced the concept of nonviolence training as enunciated in the six nonviolence principles of Martin Luther King Jnr. through Foundation for Ethnic Harmony to Niger Delta youths in 2005. Today, the concept forms the foundation for Amnesty initiative of the Federal Government. Assisted the Federal Government draft and adopt the National Youth Policy Framework. Provided a free TV viewing Centre at Igbokoda in 2006 to allow the youth watch World Cup matches pro bono. Led the Nigerian Contingent to World Youth Festival in Caracas Venezuela with some Ilaje/Ese-Odo youth as members of the delegation. Assisted OSOPADEC to organize, in two phases, Ilaje youth Peace Summit in 2007 and 2008 leading to the ‘Ilaje Charter of Peace’. His Foundation, KAFAD, has intervened in many poverty reduction programmes and projects in Ilaje/Ese-Odo including award of scholarship. What he did above when he was with the President as salary earner who was dipping his hands in his pocket to assist the people, is not what I want to emphasize here, but what he did after office, which unfortunately had been a taboo for most office leavers. It is no gain saying the fact that whenever most of these people left office, if they had been having some personal assistance to the people while in office, the end of their tenure in office is the end of their assistance to the people. But Kolades own is not like that, it was when Kolade left office that he was able to feel more of the hardship the people are feeling. He has assisted and still assisting among many others, by paying hospital bills, school fees, and scholarship to the students. He is currently distributing materials and cash donations to artisans. He has given women financial assistance through cooperative. He is distributing mathematical sets to all the students in the secondary schools of Ilaje and Ese-Odo. He has also provided experts who will teach the students the skills to use the mathematical sets. These among many others, have been what Kolade Akinjo has done and he is still doing to the people. I make bold to reiterate that no Ilaje man, leaving or dead, who has done up to Kolade especially after leaving office. I also say that nobody who leaved or leaves under salary who has done what Kolade has done to the people in terms of assistance. Not even any Senator or Rep. This is my position.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:18:32 +0000
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