'ROYAL STOOL IS A POWERFUL TOOL GOVERNMENT CAN EXPLORE TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY' -- OBA ISHERI OLOFIN ADVISES

WHY I VISITED EGBE-IDIMU LCDA EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Story by Razaq Adedeji Jimoh; Photo Source: Office of Egbe-Idimu Council Chairman Online Materials

The advocacy for the Royal institutions to have a constitutional role in governance has added another voice from one of the youthful generation of Obas in Lagos State. This came in a new advice that if the government would want to be intentional about achieving food security in Nigeria, the Royal Stools will make the veritable "tool" to explore. This idea came from the Onisheri of Isher Olofin, HRM Oba (Dr.) Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Lawal-Bello (COP), Olofin the 5th, in an interaction with Civics Weekly on the moves of his developmental strategies he has embarked upon for his Kingdom.

In this segment of that briefing, the Lagos First Class monarch revealed why he took the step of his recent visit to the Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Hon (Prince) Idris Balogun, who is fondly called 'Oluomo Kaafata' by his admirals. The Alayeluwa described the visit as a "fruitful engagement with his brother", where issues bordering on his developmental plans for the Kingdom of Isheri Olofin were tabled before him. According to him, matters of education, security and food security topped the agenda, adding that there could not have been any other better time to achieve the best for the people of Isheri Olofin than this time the two of them hold the opportunity of power for strategic partnership to do it.

He said: "To every move is a purpose, no question about that. To start with, I told you earlier that I'm a Commander of Peace. That honour is bestowed on me by the United Nation International Peace Accord Council. That is to tell you the weight it carries. It also tells the kind of person I am. I'm a man of peace -- I love peace. I love peace above any other things. And given that as a community leader now, the primary cause of everything I do must be a means to foster peace and unity. This made me to realise that I needed to reach out to important stakeholders in and around my Kingdom's neighbourhood. Example of that was my visit to the Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Hon (Prince) Idris Balogun, just a couple of days back.

"Yes, it is understandable that during the tussle of my aspiration, we were not on the same page. But now, I can categorically tell you that we understand ourselves. We have sat down to put our differences aside in order to move forward. We have come together for the common interest we share. He had visited me here several times and I thought I needed to reciprocate that gesture. Along that line, I also thought I needed to make the visit my formal gesture to congratulate him on his political victory that made him the Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu LCDA. More so, he has being on the seat for over a month and I've been seeing what he's doing so far to be commendable. For all this, I think it was quite necessary for me to visit him and applaud him for all he's been doing. In that stead, it was also a means to encourage him to keep doing so.

"Above all this, however, the meeting was necessary to foster a strategic partnership between the community -- the Isheri Olofin -- and the Council in terms of education. I spoke with him about the education matters in Isheri Olofin. Within the few months I've been here, I realise that our children are losing that zeal to study. They are losing the zeal of interest in education. This, I think, needs urgent intervention. But we can't do it alone as a community leader, so I needed to see him.

"There at the parly, I tabled before him the proposal of a Community Academy to be established. It is a form of post-school engagement for our children such that when they come back from school, we employ teachers to be teaching them right inside our community here instead of them walking around the streets and be doing something else. We will have an ICT centre there. There will be vocational centre there, where they will learn handwork. With all this, the objective is to engage them in their little time when they come back from schools. And I think it will curb them from getting involved in social vices. So, I told him we need to form partnership in that area".

On the area of security, the Onisheri explained that the growing crime of "community cult guys" everywhere was of grave concern, which the Royal fathers could be empowered to address. He continued:

"Then we moved to security issues. We all know that no community will develop without adequate security. This in particular is about the growing cultism and prevalence of cult guys all around our communities. In that line, I told him about the feasibility of establishing Community Security Network, which can be put under the command of Obas. Analysing this to him, I told him he has four major communities making up Egbe-Idimu LCDA and that each of these communities could have its own internal security system -- Idimu will have it's own, Egbe will have it's own, Agodo will have it's own -- all like that. They will be under the royal fathers because these are the people who can see the nooks and crannies of their communities. They know how to mobilise their people for all necessary actions".

Oba Lawal-Bello described the part of agriculture he discussed with the Council Chairman as the "crucial" aspect of the engagement. According to him, the Federal Government must find a way to embrace the idea of "One Community, One Product (OCOP) for the country to achieve its food security prospect. He also said the local government autonomy must make the Royal institution the fourth tier of government.

He said further: "The most crucial issue we touched is Agriculture. I believe there should be a way Isheri Olofin could find a role in agricultural value chain that can help the Kingdom with assured food security. However, this thinking goes beyond our local here, even though my proposal to the Council Chairman could be deemed a pilot phase when we achieve it. It goes to tell the royal fathers across Nigeria to begin how they could work with their respective local government authorities on how they could contribute to the national food security policy. I say this because there is a greater influence we Royal fathers could make in mobilising our people to do this and play a role in that vital sector. Where does my idea of this begin from?

"Looking at what our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is doing; he just came back from a crucial meeting of strategic partnership with the Goverment of Brazil in terms of agriculture. It all goes down to the Presidency doing its best to secure food for the country. And if that is the case, we the traditional rulers in the grassroots must also have a way to support this. From my own idea of how to go by it, which I proposed to my own Executive Chairman in that visit, we Royal fathers can play a collective role that will translate to food security in the country.

"Look at it this way, we have 774 local governments. Each of these has multiple Royal fathers as leaders of several communities. We are the last of government hierarchy closer to the people. The stool we are sitting on is a powerful tool the government can explore for policy achievements. If, by government's support as a way of making it a mandate, each community is empowered to produce something, the country will surely be moving closer to self sufficiency in productive economy. For example, if Isheri Olofin is made or tasked to be producing Ugwu or toothpicks or, even, the common matchsticks; all this is still under agriculture. So, if community A produces this, community B produces that, it will go round like that to bring the country to that food sufficiency we desire.

"Nevertheless, it all boils down to the government making a good intention about encouraging each community to do something -- tell each community: 'you must be known with something in the production value chain. You may call it 'One Community, One Product (OCOP)' this time.

"Yes, I agree that a greater number of the communities, especially in the urban centres might not have lands for agricultural products; this should not be any hindrance or excuse. Like I said, agriculture has a long value chain that includes agro-allied subsector, which a community can choose to invest on in medium scale. Well, this is not to ignore the common problem we all know about empowering people and they get the funds squandered. I do not think this will be the case when it is put under the direct supervision of the Royal fathers. The investment is secured because it is by that under the collective supervision of the people of that community. It is the community asset, which no individual would want to tamper with.

"Even the OCOP may not necessarily be limited to agriculture on the long run. A community may be found to be good in ICT (Information and Communication Technology). We will identify them with that. A community must be known as good in a specific product it is contributing to the economy. But yet, you still have a lot more to pick from in the agricultural sector. Take fish farming in the intensive and extensive modes for example. In this alone are a number of products in the value chain from the fish pond management to the numerous processing business enterprises like Smoking, Canning and all that. All that is required to achieve this is the genuine intention of the government at the centre and the state level.

"And I also think there could be no better time to try this than this era when the local governments are set to enjoy full autonomy. This must make the country to begin the consideration of making the Royal institutions the fourth tier of government. There is a lot to gain with this.

"So, this idea of Isheri Olofin's version of the OCOP included what I discussed with the Council Chairman at my visit. I proposed a partnership with the Council in the area of Agriculture. I had consulted with the Egbe-Idimu Farmers Association, especially given that I am their Patron. As the outcome of all this, I could see the Chairman being so intentional about investing in my idea, where he had even said: okay, we will find two or three acres of land we can start something with. He said he had called the HOD Agric to immediately write to the government that we need acres of land -- maybe the government do give lands for farming. It will be Egbe-Idimu Farm where he is going to provide every amenity to ensure the success. These are things we want to do and it can't be done without sincere government's intervention. And I believe, with this current Chairman's collaboration, the idea will have a sterling example of how this will work.

Kabiyesi also disclosed the plan for a "One Identity Day" to drive celebration of culture in Isheri Olofin.

He explained this: "Outside that, we also spoke about an Idea I shared from the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. It came from an engagement she had with the traditional rulers, where she explained holistically to us what she had been doing with RHI. One of this was in the area of culture. from part of her experience, She explained how she went to a Zimbabwe town and she got to know that there is one day they set aside for everyone to wear a common fabric; the same attire, such that you will know this is 'One Zimbabwe'.

"She said coming down to Nigeria, it is easy to use fashion to identify Nigeria's cultural differences: if a Hausa man wears his attire, you will know this is Hausa man. The same for the Igbo and Yoruba. So, she explained the idea of RHI introducing "One Nigeria Ideology" through fashion identity. She called it 'Nigeria Unity Fabric (NUF). She revealed how she threw the challenge to the Nigerian youths to create a design for one. The person that made the best design got N25Million last year. It's one green and white patterned attire you may have seen.

"So, in my engagement with the Council Chairman, I proposed this idea of "One Day of Common Identity" -- a way to build unity and entrench harmony among our people -- to be brought to Isheri Olofin. And to my joy, he embraced them".