The Offa Descendants Union, ODU, has documented the role of its members in facilitating the establishment of the Federal Fire Service, Offa Area Command, describing it as a “collective achievement” of Offa indigenes.
In a statement issued by the ODU National Headquarters and made available to 9japarrot, the Union said the account was intended to preserve the facts for posterity, ensure historical accuracy, and recognize the collective sacrifices and contributions of patriotic sons and daughters of Offa.
According to ODU, the idea was conceived in Kano during discussions among Engr. Kazeem Oyefola Sholadoye, State Controller, Federal Fire Service, Kano State; Alhaji Nura Tunde Yahaya, Chairman, ODU Kano Branch and North-West Zone; and Comrade Taofeek Olalekan Olaosebikan, ODU Global Public Relations Officer.
The proposal was deliberated at an ODU Kano Branch meeting, after which the ODU Global President, Dr. Azeez Salako Muhydeen Olaniyi, was mandated to commence engagements to actualize the initiative.
ODU said Dr. Olaniyi, in collaboration with Engr. Sholadoye, led engagements with relevant authorities on behalf of the Union, which culminated in the approval for the Command.
To ensure immediate take-off, the statement said Alhaji Chief Najeem Usman Yasin, Past National President of ODU, offered one of his buildings in Offa as a temporary office and donated furniture.
The Union added that the ODU Global President later engaged Alhaji Demola Buraimoh, ODU Global Vice President II, and Alhaji (Arc.) Abdurazaq Kalejaye, Vice Chairman of ODU Kaduna Branch and Immediate Past Chairman of Offa Club, UNIK. Through them, the uncompleted building initially started by Offa Club, UNIK was made available and approved as the permanent site located behind the Offa Local Government Secretariat.
ODU stated that the construction became a collective undertaking led by Dr. Olaniyi with support from Alhaji Kalejaye, Surveyor Wasiu Alayande, Chairman of ODU Abuja Central and North-Central Zone, and Otunba Dr. Abdulrauf Abiodun Oladipo, ODU Global General Secretary.
The Union noted that the four individuals committed “substantial personal resources amounting to several millions of naira” to take the structure from foundation to roofing stage, stressing that the funds were personal and not from ODU accounts.
During the ODU @90 Anniversary, Alhaji Buraimoh informed the National Executive Council that a South-West group led by Asiwaju Alhaji Tajudeen Owoyemi had volunteered to complete the remaining phase. ODU said their intervention covered plastering, aluminium works and painting.
ODU said with the completion of the facility, it expects the building to be formally handed over to the ODU National Headquarters for commissioning before transfer to the Federal Fire Service for operational use.
“The establishment and development of the Federal Fire Service, Offa Area Command is a landmark achievement made possible through the unity, dedication, and collective sacrifices of numerous patriotic Offa indigenes and friends of Offa,” the statement said.
“Accordingly, the Union believes that every individual and group that contributed to the conception, approval, development, funding, and completion of this historic project deserves due recognition. The history of this remarkable achievement should faithfully reflect the collective efforts of all contributors rather than attribute the success to only a few individuals.”
The Union described the Command as a lasting symbol of what can be accomplished when a community is united by a common purpose and pledged commitment to the safety of the people and development of Offa.