Amofin Titilope Akogun, President of the BTA Foundation, has issued a strong statement calling on Igbomina traditional and community leaders to abandon their silence and urgently defend their land against the systemic relocation of state institutions from Kwara South to Ilorin.
Akogun in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to 9japarrot media, condemned the perceived lack of patriotism among some Igbomina leaders regarding the recent move of the Kwara State College of Nursing from Oke-Ode to Ilorin, warning that the decision might be permanent.
The BTA Foundation President argued that those dismissing opposition to the relocation as mere politics don’t understand the history of such relocations in Kwara South.
Akogun drew a direct parallel to the permanent relocation of the Institute of Labour Studies to Olunlade in Ilorin, stating that the College of Nursing faces the same risk of never returning to its home community.
He further alleged that the students opposing the condemnation were largely from outside the region.
The school also mobilised their students against us condemning the act, when you check their profile, 99 percent are from Osun, Ondo, Lagos or Ilorin who prefer their comfort to degrade our region, the statement added
He contrasted the silence of Igbomina leaders with the exemplary apologetically patriotic and loyal stance of their counterparts in Offa or Ilorin, regardless of political affiliation.
Akogun tied the institutional crisis directly to the political marginalisation of the Igbomina bloc, referencing a recent assertion by Senator Lola Ashiru that a successful Senatorial bid in Kwara South requires 45 of Ibolo votes.
The Omu-aran born legal practitioner used detailed polling unit figures to support the Ibolo advantage, noting that the combined Polling Units of the Ibolo axis and their allies in Ifelodun 517 PUs far outweigh those of the four Igbomina Ekiti Local Government Areas 390} PUs.
He also highlighted that many Igbomina voters are registered and vote in Ilorin, further compounding the political disadvantage.
“It is obvious, any candidate from Ibolo axis has an upper hand and has tendencies of having victory especially if we refuse to be United from our Igbomina bloc Federal Constituency,” he stated.
Akogun concluded by expressing disappointment in his Igbomina brothers who are angry over the Senator Lola Ashiru video but refuse to speak out on the institutional relocation.
“We Igbomina one day look back and see we are the architects of our history.” he said issuing a stark warning.