By Yinka Adeosun
The easiest way to incur the wrath of royalty is to refer to Ondo as a town. As far as the royal class is concerned, Ondo is now a city, and not a town, whether it possesses the features of a 21st Century city or not. William Wordsworth, the famous writer quips that “city now doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning; silent bare, ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie open unto the fields and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.” This witty saying reinforces the fact that cities have defining features that determine the aura around them.
Initiated by the Osemawe himself and dubbed Ondo City Vision 2015, it was one of the programmes of events during the 500 years of Osemawe Dynasty in July 2010. The core objectives of the project were to make Ondo a “city of peace and high quality development in Nigeria; to attract the creation of physical infrastructure that will support rapid economic and industrial growth and development in Ondo kingdom; to create a vibrant employment generating commercial sector in Ondo kingdom”, among others. Seven years down the line, apart from the proclamation, there is little or nothing to show for that initiative.
To all intents and purposes, the Ondo city vision is commendable and was long overdue. Ondo seemed to have gone on a long lull since it lost the capital status of the state to Akure. Her lack of foresight at the time propelled by her unwillingness to surrender landed properties which were needed to establish infrastructure worthy of a capital status may have plunged her in the reverse gear of development.
And despite the preponderance of well-educated and exposed sons and daughters, who are well to do in the society, the rate of urban growth has been rather slow; it is not commensurate with the education and wealth of some of its indigenes. Until recently, Adeyemi College of Education was the biggest industry that kept Ondo relevant.
Prior to independence and shortly after then, Ondo prided itself as one of the commercial capitals of the Southwest. Her cocoa was one of the drivers of Nigeria’s economy at the time. Because of her economic strength, federal and state governments could not push aside this ancient town as major industries were sited in the town. The Nigerian Romania Wood Industry, popularly known as NIROWI, Ondo Premiere Metal Industry, Nigerian Concrete Industry were some of those companies that made Ondo tick.
And the indigenes of the town who were also well connected, owing to their education and exposure wielded influence and authority; for they held management positions in these organisations. There was no family without a well-read individual. Thus, as Lagos was the capital of the country, Ondo was arguably the epic-centre of industrialization in the Southwest after Ibadan. Proclaiming a city status without those things that make up a city is an exercise in futility. Better still, it remains just a glorified nomenclature, bereft of any meaning or significance. A modern city is an industrialized locality, where social amenities are guaranteed and standard of living is assured. As it is, Ondo, which boasts being the second largest commune in the state cannot boast of this. The major “industry” in Ondo today is filling/fuel stations which are sited in every nook and cranny of the town, against regulatory standards.
Beyond the euphoria of a city status, the older generation had better capitalize on the days when they will no more be here. The history of the enjoyable yesteryears and the reality of today’s depravity can be re-written by investing in the historians of tomorrow. This they can do by making their today better and giving them hope for a bright tomorrow.
It is no mean coincidence that the former governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, himself an indigene of the town, had stylishly set the pace on the development of Ondo town. Citing the medical village which is made up of Mother and Child Hospital, Trauma and Surgical Centre, University of Medical Sciences and the Kidney Care Centre in Ondo, as a catalyst of development was supposed to drive human traffic and by implication trade and commerce. Modern cities thrive on functioning economies.
One of the plans of the Ondo Development Committee, ODC, is to erect towering gates at the entry and exit points of the town and this they are already doing. While this may not be totally out of place, the state of the lid is as much significant as that of the content itself. The committee may perhaps need to facilitate upgrade of all roads that lead into Ondo in order to facilitate ease of vehicular traffic.
Moreso, it is easy to imagine how Ondo would look with factories and other industries in place. It would not only employ the army of youths, many of whom have taken to internet scam (aka yahoo-yahoo) as a means of livelihood. Empowering the youths cannot be over-emphasized; for anything done without due consideration for this group will just be a flash in the pan. They cannot be ignored
In this age, there can be no real development without industrialization and investment; any development status without industrialization is a mirage and such euphoria is dead on arrival. To this end, the ODC had better be pro-active, beyond the banters and social exchange that go on at their meetings. Now is the time to plan ahead of the population explosion that would follow, if industrialization is prioritized.
Ondo boasts of men and women who are accomplished professionals and experienced entrepreneurs in various fields of human endeavour, who have made a mark in their calling. Now is the time to deploy resources to the growth of their birthplace. And, the time is more than ripe to stop playing lip-service to an elevated status for Ondo.
Adeosun writes from Ondo, Ondo State