Barely a month to the expiration date of the tenure of the Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga-led Executive Committee of the apex Ibadan socio-cultural organization, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), the CCII President-General on Thursday presented three legacy projects to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen. Lekan Balogun, CFR, Alli Okunmade II for commissioning later this month and for which the monarch lauded the outgoing EXCO.
The President-General led his members of executive to the Alarere residence of the Olubadan to announce and seek the approval of His Majesty for commissioning of the legacy projects comprising CCII Guest Chalet, Ibadan FM Radio Station and Kiriji War Monument Tower all of which Oba Balogun graciously gave his consent with commendation and appreciation.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Olubadan through his Personal Assistant (Media), Oladele Ogunsola, the socio-cultural organization was commended for the initiative which, according to the monarch would not only give the ancient metropolis additional mileage in developmental strides, but also engrave the tenure of the executive committee in gold.
Oba Balogun praised the Prince Adeaga-led Executive Committee for its foresight and vision for a greater tomorrow for Ibadanland which he said in no small measure gladdens his heart. The monarch said, “I’m highly elated by these your projects which are highly impressive and visionary. Though, you are departing, but, your team is ultimately leaving the organization far better than you met it.
“The Ibadan FM radio station in particular is another first as I don’t know of any town or city that owns a radio station like that in Nigeria. So, just like Ibadan hosts the first television station (NTA) in Nigeria and Africa, it won’t be a surprise if we become another first metropolis to boast of a self-owned radio station in Nigeria or possibly in the continent of Africa”, Oba Balogun added.
Making the presentation, Prince Adeaga disclosed that the CCII Guest Chalet project was conceived by his predecessor and committed about eleven million Naira (N11m) into it before the previous tenure ended and that his team had put into it additional twelve million Naira (N12m) to make it worthy of commissioning.
The outgoing CCII PG explained that the philosophy behind the Guest Chalet project was to make the organization self-sustaining to an extent, saying, “the CCII goes about to solicit for fund to run its various programmes, but, with the Guest Chalet, it is expected that the attitude of begging for fund would be drastically reduced.
“Similarly, it is expected that the new radio station would also be a source of fund generation for the organization. We, in Ibadan, either in the corporate world, religious, social, traditional or at individual level have the population to drive such project to a very successful end in terms of fund generation through patronage by all the identified sectors”, he added.
On the Kiriji War Monument which he said had been put in front of Ibadan House, he said it was part of the take-away from the trip made by the organization to the Kiriji War site in Imesi-Ile last year September. He stressed that by putting the monument in place, it may no longer be necessary for anybody willing to know about the war to go as far as Imesi-Ile.
Prince Adeaga thanked Oba Balogun for his fatherly role, either before his ascension of the Olubadan throne or during the almost one and half years the organization had interacted with him as the Ibadan paramount ruler, noting that the experience he and his executive committee members had with Oba Balogun would linger for a long time.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
