The Future of Our Fatherland

I am not a man of much literature skills, so, you'll forgive me if my write up this time lacks the usual eloquence you'd expect from people with good or exceptional writing skills.

However, I believe you do not need fancy or complicated words to express the passion one has for the land of one's fathers. There was a time that being an Ijesa person brought some sort of respect. The Ijesa people were known to be hard working, enterprising, tenacious, studious, and very intelligent. We were known for being good initiators, trailblazers and fore-runners in all good things. I cannot deny or confirm if these still apply to us, however, I now notice that lately, my people have in some areas been synonymous with being not very intelligent, joke of the town (cue Baba Ijesa in the Nollywood movies) and very lately hooliganism.

I am writing this as a person who is interested in knowing how we can make the whole Ijesaland a better place. With all this infighting and strife, where does one start from. Ijesaland is so dear to me because it is the land of my parents, and their parents, and their parents' parents. I so love my roots. Isn't it about time something is done about what is going on there?

My first visit to Ilesa, the major city of Ijesaland, was in 1983 when we arrived from the UK. I enjoyed the warmth there, and admittedly, there was much difference between it and Ibadan, where I was based, however, at that time, Ilesa was a very neat and organised city. The IBL was at full function, reaching out to regions beyond the Western Nigeria, we had Strabag not far from my village, a steel company was there too, and wasn't Ilesa so organised then.

From my own personal point of view, nothing much has changed since then. Apart from the proliferation of banks, the infrastructures still remain the same, if not worse, the place has not seen much development since the 'good old days'. Comparing it to her contemporaries (Ibadan & Ogbomoso), it seems we have drawn the short straw. These other places are developing at surprising rates, but it seems we have been left behind in time. I am only partly an Ilesa boy, my dad is from another part of Ijesaland, however, as Ilesa is the bigger city in the region, I see it as the crown of our jewel, reason I referring to it now.

But my issue is not even with Ilesa that much, but with the indigenes of Ijesaland as a whole. What are we doing while our land is being devoured from inside out. The land is being devoured, not just from the outside, but from within ourselves. Shouldn't we be looking for ways to develop our future? Shouldn't we be looking for ways to invest in the youths of the land? Shouldn't we be looking for ways to keep out human resources back at home before all the talents migrate to Ibadan, Lagos and further afield. I was talking to a friend not long ago, and we observed that if care is not taken, Ijesaland could become a deserted land (like the Wild Wild West, with the dry rubble blowing in the wind across the desert, you get my gist) as the young see no reason to stay, and the population is aging rapidly. Shouldn't we concentrate on this, instead of using our best characteristics -intelligence, tenacity and doggedness - against each other, uniting and using it against the world.

Well, as I should be in bed now, I haven't got much to say for now. I will continue another day. But please have this in mind, Ijesaland is for us, let us work towards its progress.

Obokun a gbe wa o

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Isaac Fabelurin