Ibogun, the ancestral home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, marked its annual Cultural Day on Monday with guests generously gifted with souvenir bearing the emblems of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmed Datti.
Souvenirs so distributed to guests and participants at the cultural festival with Obi and Datti insignias included free solar torchlights.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who graced this year edition of the Ibogun Day was seen dancing enthusiastically with a masquerade at the occasion to the admiration of many.
The elder statesman reportedly spent about N15m in 2021-2022 school session on academic and infrastructure needs in a local grammar school located in Ibogun Olaogun area of Ifo local government of Ogun State.
The Coordinator of the Ibogun Olaogun project coordination, Chief (Engr.) Wole Adebayo made this disclosure at the 2022 Ibogun Olaogun Day celebration, held at the Town, via Ifo, Ogun State on Monday.
Adebayo acknowledged the support of the former President on the development of the town, declaring, such has been tremendous and worthy of emulation.
“We shall continue to always appreciate Baba for his love and affection for this town. He has spent over N10m on the educational development of our new Grammar school. This is apart from the N5m he spent on construction of desk and chairs for the school. Our target now is for establishment of the school laboratory and other amenities for successful use of the pupils.”
Earlier, the President of Ibogun Olaogun Community Development Association, Chief Olatunji Okunade hinted that the continuous increase in the number of students necessitated the need to embark and completed the Phase 3 of the school building project, which included the ground floor of eight classrooms of a story building.
The community chairman used the opportunity to appeal to the State governor, “to help upgrade our health centre facilities to General hospital stansard so as to effectively meet the health care responsibilities of people in 36 Ibogun communities.”
Okunade also restated the call on the governor of the state of the Ifo/Ipake Road, which has been in a deplorable condition over the years, thereby affecting economic and standard of living in Ibogun community.”
The new Olowu of Owu and Paramount ruler of ancient Owu Kingdom, Oba Prof. Saka Matemilola at the event, stressed the importance of community development through self effort, saying he was satisfied with report of the situation from Ibogun Olaogun.
Obasanjo who thanked donors for the projects so far embarked upon by the community, said the health centre needed the state government attention, “as about 40 communities patronise the existing health centre, while the facility has been overstretched.”
According to Kehinde Akinyemi, Special Assistant on Media to former President,
Obasanjo hinted that the new town hall and Palace projects would be pursued vigorously “and as usual we shall be judicious in our spending of your donations to achieve the completion of the projects,” he said.
