The journey of two months has just ended. I can now sleep for more than three hours. I need not not shuttle between Kwara and Ilorin every week. It all seems like a big relief but I am bewildered at the way my mind is heavier; even when my colleagues started congratulating themselves for the success of the program I seem not to be interested. I was completely buried with thoughts throughout yesterday and today. Even with the obvious joy and happiness on the faces of these people, with their appreciation and delight to Eagles Foundation for Humanity, for the donated materials, I wasn’t myself.
Two out of five communities we visited do not enjoy power supply, all these communities have big issues with their educational system; some do not even have schools at all). The road network linking these communities are a saddening tale. They do not have portable water supply. The stress, management, resources and finance that was expended to get these materials and foodstuffs to the residents of these communities might seem like a big deal but it is a fact devoid of fallacy that the effectiveness or usefulness of the donated materials is very transient. I don’t feel like an achiever if within three weeks or a month, the materials supplied gets exhausted.
Of course! I am just a little girl with very little in my pocket, I am just a little girl with big dreams and idea, I am just that daughter of Anifowoshe who never gives up on her aspirations and Eagles Foundation for Humanity is just an organization of like-minded, vision driven, intellectual Nigerian Youths with the strong mission to eradicate poverty in Nigeria and make the world a better place.
As a student of law who is very handy of the Fundamental Objectives and the Directive Principles of State Policy in chapter two of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I can’t but wonder what our government (both past and present) has been doing since 55 years of our existence as a nation and our 48 years of existence as a state? I sincerely cannot fathom the reason why some communities that are just 2 hours (or less) drive from the capital city have such conditions? I wonder if the only obligation of our local government authority here in Kwara is yo issue certificate of origin and put up billboards in honor of a godfather? I wonder what developmental project the democratic government of this state has embarked on since time immemorial? I can’t but ask myself if this state has any blueprint for sustainable development. I do not even know if we truly have democracy in this state or country anymore? Why should communities still live in the state they live today? In case you do not know; they all have polling units in those communities, even those that have power supply havent enjoyed electricity supply in three months.
Before I start getting threats from some persons for talking about their “caretaker cretin governor”, before they send their powerful security backbone to arrest me, before they start calling my mum to advice her daughter to “stay away from politics”. Let the truth be told! We have a long way to go in Kwara State. If we continue to toll this path of recklessness and lack of foresight the state will be in subnormality when other states are progressing.what we saw in those communities depicts that we are still in the 18th century. It shows that we are not even close to been developed.
Fellow Nigerians, my beloved Kwarans, we all need to start doing something, we need to constructively lend our voices to this issue, if in the year 2015 we are in this state, if only less than 20% of our children get quality education, if it is only our capital city that is arable for economic property, if the gap betw n the rich and the poor is so wide, if only the people in the capital city enjoy “all” the privileges. One day! Someday! Things will fall apart! One day, the center won’t be able to hold! One day the uneducated children in the rural areas will migrate down her to seek for their entitlement. One day the table will turn around and their illiteracy will be a strong tool to perpetuate social vices.
*Titilope LegalEagle is the Chief Executive Officer of Eagles Foundation for Humanity (a non governmental organization ) and a former vice president of UNILORIN SUG
@classicaltiti on Twitter titilopeanny@gmail.com
