IDF: An inexorable Hope of Many Generations

By Ibraheem Alli

We are nothing but a disgrace to many generations should we fail to improve our society more than we met it. The ineffable of community service cannot be overemphasizing in a surviving state like Nigeria. Hence, the need for skillful, affluent and virile individual to harmonize their interest to pursue a common goal of community development

The best of services to humanity is selfless devotion to ones immediate environment lubricated by physical, spiritual and material gifts to render succor, jettisoning the natural associated bleak experience. Explicitly, a community based life impacting mind, group or syndicate, to be registered for her generosity, has to inevitably sweep her house from inside. Convincingly, the seemingly eternal émigrés justification becomes barbaric, untenable owing to the interconnectivity promoted by modern technology. Hence, harmonizing people for common community projects and development became easier, faster and responsive, a mission tenaciously achieved in unison through a less than one year old social platform, Ileogbo Development Forum (IDF).

The forum (IDF) was founded on January 5th, 2015, wherein some of the promising sons and daughters of Ileogbo were incorporated to its whatsapp group. Ileogbo is the headquarters of Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State. Today, the forum has made marks; assisted in road constructions, rehabilitated roads, offered scholarship, organized tutorials, sponsored students` incentives, visited orphanage homes, organized workshop and distributed relief materials to the needy and the less privileged.

Ileogbo Development Forum (IDF) was nurtured, worried by the pathetic state of her community (Ileogbo) despite the heavy weight of prosperous sons and daughters. Hence, the means and need to connect them were devised.

The feats of IDF are succor to all the sons, daughters, visitors of Ileogbo. It has cut across infrastructural facilities, educational improvement, agricultural and social promotion. The forum has no official portfolio/executives but members are syndicated on committees and sub-committees, an ideal offspring of unity and common target.

On infrastructural development, the group took the grading of the old Ileogbo-Iwo road upon itself. This task was a herculean one but with unison of voice, the road is motorable today. The natural effect of heavy downpour unavoidably affected the road. Hence, IDF responded to its repairing in collaboration with Okada riders and late last month, an umbrella body for all the citizens of the town,  Ileogbo Unity Forum (IUF) now regarded and complemented by regarding the road. The roundabout at Kobiowu junction, an economic hub of the town was renovated by the forum. Also, Aresa/Olopo metala potholes were filled and patched with the collaborative effort of the Federation of Ileogbo Students` Union (FISU). The forum also donated fifty (50) bags of superset cements to support Oluwo of Iwo, HRM Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi Ilufemiloye Telu I on the rehabilitation of Iwo-Ileogbo-Osogbo road.

Promoting the best of all legacies, education, and the forum organized an extra mural coaching for the Senior Secondary School students in the town in preparation for WAEC and NECO. The Forum has also awarded NECO scholarship to 12 meritorious qualified students. Eight of them were from public while four were private students. In addition, a female student (Akintola Tawakalitu Folashade) from Ologun`s compound (Ileogbo) also won a University Scholarship sponsored by the Vice-Chancellor of Tai Solarin University, Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade. She is an undergraduate student of Physics department in the university today.

In the community`s effort towards contributing to the country`s economy, the forum organized a workshop on hybrid maize seed and Yellow Cassava plantation for the farmers to boost local products. Those plants were freely distributed to farmers in Ileogbo. Selling point for easy accessibility was created in Ileogbo, a development that was acknowledged and commended by all and sundry mostly the Olu of Ileogbo, HRM Oba Habeeb Adetoyese Agbaje Arowo-Okunjoye II.

In her responsive obligation of empowering the youth, the forum organized Google Training in collaboration with Mind The Gap and Social Media marketing facilitated by Mr. Tayo Olosunde and Mrs. Bukola Amusan Olaleye (Bukky Shoes) respectively. The trainings have started impacting base on testimonies received. Marketing whatsapp and facebook page were equally created to promote our marketing power. Kudos to the duo of Tayo and Olubukola.

Strengthening the security mantrap in their domain, IDF delegates visited the paramilitaries and intelligent security operatives such as Civil Defense, Department of State Security, National Orientation Agency (NOA) seeking absolute cooperation in protecting Ileogbo against the insecurity and kidnapping cases in the country.

Today, the forum stands a mannequin of progress and promotion of a manor (Ileogbo). Presently, effort is at top gear at distributing relief materials for the less privileged and orphans in the town. The proposed gift items include rice, cloth, garri and other daily needed materials.

The status of Nigeria society is disheartening, a state that should be rescued by all and sundry but disappointedly, most leaders crush the ladder after getting to the top. For the avoidance of acrid and glut of abject, the citizens, irrespective of their gifts, should harmonize interest for the general benefit of all most especially the abject wallowing souls. Optimistically, with time, tenacity and collaboration with IUF, Club Omega and some other socio-elite clubs in the town (Ileogbo), her people stand the chance of better living in the nearest future.