By Bolaji Aladie
Distinguished compatriots, it’s very vital that I come up with this clarification due to the fact that Kwara cyberspace has been awash with lies, propaganda, and innuendoes of a sort through the media activities of some mischievous elements within our folds who have chosen to be blind and never see any good worth applauding in pragmatic works of the Senator representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe.
In a treatise I wrote during the Senator’s one year anniversary in the Senate, titled “Oloriegbe 365 days of Redefining Legislative Representation”, towards its end, I asserted that: “Sen. Oloriegbe is presently not having a good time with his critics, some of those who are criticizing him out of hatred and or ignorance. The majority of these critics are much found on the streets of social media dishing out vague, insipid, and incoherent analysis. We have amongst them, the bootlickers of the goliath electorally slain by Oloriegbe; we have the sympathizers of those who wish to be in Oloriegbe’s position and we have those who would be fair in their comments if they are factually guided…” To some reasonable extent, that assertion still remains valid as some people have already programmed their mindset to nothing good can come from Oloriegbe.
Thus, in the continuance of their chosen obligations of using the media against that innocent man, the internet was set ablaze yesterday with the rumor that one of the 2020 Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) otherwise known as Constituency Projects was disrupted by the angry youth from his constituency on account of not meeting up with their expectation.
It’s noteworthy that the 2020 Constituency Projects of the Senator like many of his colleagues in the 9th National Assembly is just starting due to the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the economy across the world. However, what was kicked-off yesterday which brought the cyber-lashing on Oloriegbe was just like letter A of the English Alphabets, many other impactful projects will roll in months to come.
The empowerment which is currently the source of headache to some of our brethren across the parties line was taken in good fate – to cushion the effect of the glaring poverty ravaging the Kwara Central indigents.
We can’t continue to run away from our fears and shadow, not everyone will be given a white-collar job, no government in history has achieved such a feat and it will be so for a very long time, in contrast, empowerment like that is a germane and efficient way of devising other ways through which the electorates particularly, the aged and unlettered women can have a taste of the government numerous efforts towards the betterment of life.
Interestingly, the cassava processing and poultry productions as facilitated by Senator Oloriegbe was a Federal Government funded Project anchored by the Nigeria Stored Produces and Research Institute (NSPRI) an agency responsible for agricultural-related projects of the federal government.
Initially, a total number of 20 people were contained in the federal government estimation to be so empowered and also, 2000 pieces of school materials are to be shared across the constituency but the Senator deemed it fit to redeem the figure and reinforced that of 20 constituents beneficiaries of the empowerment to 33 by adding extra 13 constituents from his own personal purse and also, the 2000 pieces of school materials was augmented to 8000 so as to reach as many as possible schools courtesy of his personal intervention.
The empowered constituents were extensively trained for complete four-days in order to equip them with the necessary skills required for them to function well in cassava processing and poultry production.
In between this training, their foods and numerous logistics were catered for in order to motivate them till the end.
The empowered constituents, who are mostly aged women and were given start-up cash, tons of cassava, and the necessary equipment to ease their startup in the coming days.
Also, the youths trained on poultry productions were given cash, chicken, feeds, drugs, and others that will last the chicken up to maturity stage, which is approximately 8 weeks.
However, it’s not only laughable but also ridiculous that some people were peddling rumors of disruption of the program yesterday and up till this moment, no single picture of such a gory incident was presented, suffice to say the disruption happened in the figment of their imagination.
In conclusion, the Kwara Central constituents should be on the lookout for many impactful projects in months to come as the senator is committed to the all-round welfare of his people and that’s so paramount to him and his team.
I urge the entire populace not to be deterred by the shenanigans of the rumor mongers, it reduces nothing in us and our spirit is always high any day.
Like I intoned earlier, the 2020 Projects are just starting and many more is coming.
Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe is performing and the impacts are on the streets of Kwara Central.