𝗜𝗹𝗮𝗷𝗲/𝗘𝘀𝗲-𝗢𝗱𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝘆𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘄𝗮 𝗧𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝗦𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗖 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮, 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹

BY NIGERDELTA VOICE,

𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮

Stakeholders from the riverine communities of Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas have called on Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to immediately relocate the headquarters of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) from Oba-Ile, Akure North, to Igbokoda, describing the current location as unjust, illogical and contrary to the commission's mandate.

The stakeholders argued that OSOPADEC was established specifically to address the developmental challenges confronting the oil-producing communities of Ilaje and Ese-Odo, including coastal erosion, flooding, poor road infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, unemployment and neglected schools. They maintained that it is unacceptable for the commission responsible for these riverine communities to operate far away from the people it was created to serve.

According to them, relocating the commission's headquarters to Igbokoda would improve accessibility, strengthen accountability, enhance community participation and ensure that government officials witness firsthand the realities facing the mandate areas.

They recalled that the demand is not new. In 2016, the late former Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, pledged to relocate the OSOPADEC headquarters from Akure to Igbokoda while establishing an area office in Igbekebo. Similarly, in October 2024, former Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi reiterated the same position during a visit to Igbokoda, declaring that keeping the commission in Akure was "an aberration" because the beneficiaries are the people of Ilaje and Ese-Odo.

The stakeholders insisted that Governor Aiyedatiwa should fulfill the long-standing aspiration of the oil-producing communities by moving the commission's administrative headquarters, directors, budget offices and public complaint units to the mandate area without further delay.

They pointed to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), whose headquarters is located in Port Harcourt within the Niger Delta region rather than in Abuja, arguing that OSOPADEC should equally be domiciled in the communities it was established to develop.

"The people should not have to spend scarce resources travelling to Akure just to access the services of a commission created for their benefit," the stakeholders said.

They stressed that relocating OSOPADEC to Igbokoda would not only fulfill previous government promises but also demonstrate genuine commitment to equitable development, responsive governance and justice for Ondo State's oil-producing communities.

The stakeholders urged Governor Aiyedatiwa to act decisively by relocating the OSOPADEC headquarters to Igbokoda, insisting that the commission belongs in the mandate area where the oil is produced and where the people continue to bear the environmental and economic burdens of oil exploration.