Residents of the Songbe community in Ejigbo South Local Council Development Area of Osun State have called on the state government to provide them with basic infrastructural amenities that would make life meaningful.
The community members stated that many social amenities are lacking in their domain, including bad roads, inadequate medical facilities, and the absence of a conducive academic environment for learning, among others.
The Chairman of the Community Development Association, Taiwo Ojetokun, who made these concerns known while speaking with newsmen on Thursday, described the situation as terrible and a sorry sight, urging the state government to heed their cries without delay.
According to him, “The primary health care centre in the town was last renovated in 2020. Apart from the dilapidated buildings in the secondary school, a shortage of teachers is also a major challenge for students in the town.”
He continued: “We are lacking in development, and we want to urge the state government to remember us. The only road linking this town with other communities was constructed during the military era, and it has become a death trap now. Our agricultural produce gets damaged due to the bad roads in the town, and we are really suffering.
“Also, the only maternity centre in the town lacks both amenities and staff. There are no drugs in the centre. The centre is not even enough to cater to the population of Songbe. The maternity centre was last renovated during Oyetola’s administration.
“Our secondary school building is also not in good shape. Some of the buildings in the school are dilapidated, while others have already collapsed. There is also a shortage of teachers in the school, and the government needs to address this urgently.”
Meanwhile, the leader of the Forum of Civil Society Organisations for Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria, Glorious Akpan, called on the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to resolve the ongoing power tussle involving villages under Songbe.
He argued that nine out of the 16 villages under Songbe have ceased to associate with the town and urged the state government to address the issue.
Akpan further stated: “Songbe is an independent community that has the power to prescribe authority to rule.”
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