Marginalization of Okunland: A Call for Unity and Development – Otunba Olayinka Braimoh
Olugbemi Femi – Lokoja
The Governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2023 Kogi Governorship Election, Otunba Olayinka Braimoh has called for the unity of Okunland in order to address the undeveloped bedeviling the area due to marginalization, highlighting the region’s poor infrastructure and lack of representation in leadership positions.
He disclosed this yesterday while speaking to journalists on his paper presentation at the openings ceremony of the second Okun Nation’s summit with the theme: Okun Unity: Power of One Voice , the Strength of Many Hands organized by Okun Development Initiative (ODI) held in Kabba, where he called for a purposeful pursue of unity that will propelled accelerated development of the entire zone, pointed out that Okunland is underdeveloped in the area of infrastructure compared to other districts in Kogi State.
He further emphasized that the region has been underrepresented in leadership positions, especially governorship in the state, stressing that the lack of infrastructure and representation has affected the region’s economic growth and development.
He said it will interest people to know that some communities in Okunland including his country home, Akutupa Kiri, in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area have been without electricity since inception, pointed out there are no motorable roads in major parts of Okunland, making it difficult for farmers to transport their goods to the market.
“The history of our state shows clearly that zones that have had a Governor at the helm of leadership have developed their zones much more than others. You can see this in the budget, implementation of the budget, appointments, and other areas. A simple comparison would reveal the disparity. As a journalist, I’m sure you can investigate and publish the figures to support this claim.”‘ he said
Otunba Olayinka further said that the lack of infrastructure has hindered economic growth and development in the region, called for equitable distribution of resources across senatorial districts.
He said the time is now for the Okun people to have a collective vision and aligning interests to drive development of the area across all sectors that will position the people for economic stability.
Otunba Braimoh emphasized the need for sacrifice and strategic alliances to develop Okunland collectively, stressing that leaders and youths need to think critically about the region’s challenges and opportunities by building strategic relationships and making sacrifices can help drive development and progress in Okunland.
