By Oluwayemisi Oloyede, Abeokuta
Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the youths to imbibe the courageous and patriotic spirit of the legendary Lisabi, and shun cultism and money rituals.
He also charged them to inculcate the core values of hard-work, perseverance, diligence and all the positive values which form the embodiment of the spirit of Omoluabi in themselves, which the Ogun people are reputed for.
Abiodun gave this charge while speaking at the grand finale of the 2022 Lisabi Day celebration, held at the Ake Palace Ground, on Saturday.
The governor, who expressed his worries over what he termed "get-rich quick syndrome" among the youth, stressed that "all of us have a responsibility to inculcate in our youth the core values of hard-work, perseverance, diligence and all the positive values which form the embodiment of the spirit of Omoluabi. Our youth should shun cultism, money rituals and all other anti social behavior.
"We must all learn from what Lisabi lived for and continue to propagate that for the development of Egbaland in particular and Ogun state in general"
The governor noted that Lisabi as a fearless warrior and liberator of the Egba people has become the whole essence of Egbaland, describing the annual celebration as a memorial of the great exploits of a community leader, selfless soldier and emancipator of his people.
According to Abiodun, Lisabi remained a personification of inclusiveness, justice, fairness, equity, perseverance, and self-sacrifice, noting celebrating the legend is also a celebration of the enviable ancestry, rich history, outstanding qualities and the greatness of the Egba people.
He pointed out that the unique experience and privileged position of the Egba as early beneficiaries of western education have enabled them to be at the forefront in many fields of human endeavour and to continuously play leadership roles in the socio-economic and political life of the nation.
While congratulating the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo and the entire people of Egbaland, the governor posited that the enviable legacy of Lisabi should serve to propel the people to greater achievements in their individual and collective pursuits.
He thanked the people of Egbaland for their support, cooperation, prayers and collaborations since his emergence as the candidate of our great party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), till date, assuring his administration would continue to espouse developmental projects across the state equitably.
While noting that Egbaland has continued to be the major beneficiary of the concentration of major projects initiated both by his administration and the previous administrations, Abiodun said four out of the five legacy projects commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari are located in Egbaland.
"The City Gate Monument to which serves as a befitting welcome to Abeokuta, the State Capital; the Abeokuta-Siun-InterChange Express road; the Kobape Housing Estate, and the King’s Court Housing Estate at Oke-Mosan are located in Ogun Central.
"We have renovated 41 schools in Ogun Central in the first phase of our rehabilitation plan of schools in Ogun State. More so, most of our agriculture programmes take place in Odeda, in Egbaland. The Odeda farm Institute hosts many of young farmers who are being trained to take advantage of our robust agriculture and agric-business schemes.
"In all, the above is to show that Egbaland and its people remain vital in our development programme for Ogun State.
For Abeokuta, in particular, we have a special plan that will continue to place the city in a vantage position as a befitting capital city like its contemporaries all over the world. Abeokuta has been chosen among the 15 towns as the new city. This is a United Kingdom Project as part of our Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
"In addition to this, we will be launching the Mass Transit Bus which will take off in Abeokuta very soon. That mass transit will be a revolution to road public transportation not only in Ogun State but in Nigeria.
It is also our promise that any inherited projects that have bearing and will impact the development of our dear State will not be abandoned. In fact, those that could no longer be used for their initial purposes will be converted to the advantage of our dear State. An example is the conversion of the Model School at Kobape road into the Ogun Tech Hub. I am happy to report that the Ogun Tech Hub has been fully utilized by our youth as an infrastructural support for young innovators, and incubation for tech-based start up.
"At this point, I enjoin all our people to take ownership of these projects. This is the only way that we will ensure that these projects serve the purposes they are executed. Let me also call on all Egba sons and daughters to take concrete steps in charting a new and improved course for the development of Egbaland in particular, and Ogun State in general". The governor said.
He, however, called on the people to pay attention to the issue of security, submitting that "we must all understand that security is a task for all us. We must also appreciate that it is only in a secured and safe environment that development can take place".
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