Okun People Of Kogi State Chart a new course after a 3day Summit

Participants at the summit

The Okun yoruba speaking people of Kogi State came together last weekend to chart a new course for her people in a 3day summit on Security, Development and Unity.

The summit which held in Kabba, the administrative headquarters of Okunland have in attendance opinion leaders, technocrats, business moguls, captains of industries, political leaders, traditional fathers, youth organisations and students leaders.

The summit which was organised by the Okun Development Initiative in collaboration with the Okun Development Association was productively successful, unifying and expected to hold annually.

A communique which was released after the 3days summit is expected to chart a new course for the Security, Development and Unity of Okunland.

Below is the communique released:

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A 3-DAY SUMMIT
ON SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT AND UNITY BY THE OKUN
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (ODI) IN COLLABORATION
WITH OKUN DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (ODA) ON
NOVEMBER 26, 2016 IN KABBA, KOGI STATE.

We the Okun Yoruba people of Kogi State from the six Local
Government Areas of Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Mopa-Muro, Lokoja,
Yagba East and Yagba West respectively at the end of a 3-Day
Summit aimed at breaking the bonds of underdevelopment in
Okunland, having collectively agreed to unite, collaborate and
promote the economic development of Okunland under a
peaceful and conducive environment to enable all citizens
express their potentials freely towards the advancement of their
common agenda, hereby unanimously resolve as follows:

1. That we re-affirm the right of Okun Yoruba people to their
fundamental and inalienable right to be grouped in a place
of their choice freely chosen and ruled by the government
of popular choice in a free and fair election based on
universal adult suffrage and that there is therefore urgent
and compelling need for Okun people to situate and
project their identity drawn upon their history, common
heritage and values within the country in order to
engender socio-economic and political transformation of
our people.

2. That we state unequivocally that we are Yoruba people
who trace our origin to Il- Ife, sharing social cultural and
linguistic affinities with the Yoruba of South West.

3. That Okun leaders must, as a duty,initiate immediate
steps towards cooperation and integration among the
six Local Government Areas in order to diversify our
economic base to boost socio-economic and political
development in Okunland thereby leaving such diversified
local economies relatively more financially stable, capable
of creating jobs for the youths, creating more opportunities
for our people to earn a living, less vulnerable to the boom
and bust cycles of state government allocations, thereby
promoting sustainable growth and development of
Okunland.

4. That in order to ensure a sustainable security architecture
in Okunland aimed at encouraging socio-economic
development, the development of the educational sector
through the establishment of private and public
universities; the development of the agricultural sector
through partnerships with relevant government and
international agro-based agencies with the active
participation of Okun youths; and an aggressive skill
acquisition regime remain a veritable escape route out of
poverty and insecurity.

5. That community policing and neighbourhood watch
capacities in Okunland should be strengthened beginning
with an aggressive security awareness programme in our
schools, leading to the establishment of an Okun
Neighbourhood Watch Organization (ONWO) in all
communities in Okunland to support the Police in
maintaining security of lives and property.

6. That realizing the great agricultural potentials in Okunland
and the need to utilize this God-given natural resource to
boost the living standards of our people through food
security, employment generation and preservation of the
environment, resolve that it has become expedient to
educate our people on the latest agro- based technology
and marketing strategies ranging from planting techniques
to value chain regime with the active participation of our
women and youths.

7. That realizing the enormous potentials in our women and
youths, the Okun people have resolved to encourage the
development of ICT solution centres across Okunland to
complement agriculture in order to build an army of skilled
women and youths determined to face the exigencies of
the modern day world and also curb unemployment and
poverty.

8. That the Okun Electorate should insist on
good leadership in all spheres as a people to ensure that
they elect into office only those who would truly serve
Okun people and espouse the great Okun ethics and
values true to our heritage.

9. That our politics must be in accordance with and in
furtherance of our values, our hopes and our collective
aspirations to promote growth and development in
Okunland.

10. That our unity is non-negotiable and flowing from that, we
reject any political, religious or other mechanisms aimed
at dividing us.

11. That leadership must emerge through the free choice of
the people, not by personal ambition; as such, aspiring
leaders must subject themselves to the counsel and
decision of the people in pursuing or forfeiting their
personal ambitions and aspirations.

12. That a situation where age no longer means anything to
the youths of Okunland; a situation where traditional rulers
no longer have control of their citizens and worse still; a
situation where we no longer have the fear of God in our
relationships and dealings with one another is
unacceptable and that there must be an urgent cultural
reorientation across Okunland in order to regain our lost
values and norms, thereby enhancing development.

13. That there must be a well thought out Integration and
Development Agenda for Okunland (IDAFO) which must
be initiated after this summit. Therefore, a high powered
IDAFO Committee shall be set up after the Summit to
articulate and produce the blueprint for adoption by the
Okun Congress to be called LATEST DECEMBER 2016,
from which a new ODA executive shall emerge and will be
inaugurated to run with this new Okun Agenda.

14. That Okun leaders shall immediately set up a Committee
to produce the blueprint for IDAFO to drive and guide our
developmental process. This will foster greater
cooperative integration, unity and development strategies
that will open up new opportunities for the rapid growth
and development of our communities in Okunland.

15. That we hereby resolve that this summit shall continue
bi-annually (twice a year) to deliberate and appraise these
programmes and activities towards the achievement of
our collective goals and aspirations as a people.

16. That we express our sincere appreciation to our respected
traditional Rulers, members of the National and State
Assemblies, members of Kogi State Executive Council,
Political, Religious and Leaders in other spheres of life,
who sacrificed their time and resources to ensure the
success of the summit.

17. That ODA should henceforth run its affairs largely on the
basis of sub committees for effective delivery of its core
mandates.

18. That in furtherance of the need to boost educational
development in Okunland, there is the need for the setting
up of Okun Educational Endowment Foundation to cater
for the educational advancement of Okun people
especially the less privileged.

19. That an urgent review of ODA constitution is necessary in
order to move Okunland forward.

20. That ODA should make it a priority to demand for the
relocation of the college of medicine of Kogi State
University to Okunland.

Members, Communique Committee
1. Pastor Femi Obalemo Chairman
2. Tunde Ipinmisho
3. Lt-Comdr James Folorunsho
4. Hon. Durosinmi Meseko Secretary
5. Mr. Simon Oke
6. Elder Gabriel Adeoye