Last week, ADEWALE OSHODI visited a border community, Ayegun, in Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State, which is just a short distance from Benin Republic, and reports on why it is important for the Nigerian government to do more for this community which identifies more with its neighbouring West African country than Nigeria.
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With the recent Ebola outbreak in the country, there is the need to sensitise Nigerians, especially those living at the border communities, on how to prevent foreigners from bringing the highly-contagious disease into the country; this is coming with the sad experience Nigeria passed through when a Liberian-American, the late Patrick Sawyer ‘imported’ the virus into the country.

Therefore, in order to prevent a repeat of the sad incident, the Federal Ministry of Health, through the Port Health Services, last week, went to a border community, Ayegun, in Oyo State to create awareness about this disease.

Apart from the sensitisation tour, there is a lot about this border community that other Nigerians don’t know about.

Travelling to Ayegun in Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State takes about five to six hours from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and this is even dependent on the vehicle one is travelling in; while many people may not even know this community exists, it is of strategic importance to the Nigerian and Oyo State governments. The reason for this is that this is the last Nigerian border community before one gets to the Republic of Benin.

On the journey to Ayegun, one passes through Iseyin, Okeho, Ilero, Iganna, Iwere-Ile, Ayetoro-Ile, Idiko Ago, Idiko-Ile, Ijio, and Isamo; while the road is fairly good in some of these communities, it is terrible in others. However, from Idiko-Ile to Ayegun, a journey of about one and a half hours, the road is completely untarred.

What makes travelling to Ayegun so terrible is the fact that huge streams flow through the road in some portions, and this is a huge test for vehicles. In order to lessen the problem of vehicles travelling to Ayegun, passengers have to disembark on getting to the streams so as to make the passage easy.

Also, due to the streams, the road often gets muddy, especially during rainy seasons, and buses and trucks taking goods to the community need to be supported through pushing before maneuvering their way out of the muddy areas.

The bad condition of the road is the reason this part of the Nigerian border is not as busy as the others in the neighbouring Ogun State. It is also the reason why the most convenient form of transportation to and fro Ayegun is the commercial motorcycle, popularly known as Okada.

However, the people of Ayegun, especially the Okada riders who ply their town and Ijio, are always ready to help any vehicle stuck in the mud. To them, the condition of the road is a clog in the wheel of the community’s development.

This was also echoed by the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Emmanuel Oyedepo Alao, Ilufemiloye Anifowose 11, the Alayegun of Ayegun, who lamented the condition of the road leading to his domain.

“The fact that the community hosts the only Federal Government approved international border in Oyo State is even enough reason it should be developed, but with the situation of things, it is like we are cut off from the rest of the country, especially during rainy seasons when the road becomes so muddy.

“We have appealed to the local government, which is Iwajowa Local Government, and the Oyo State government, but the response we always get is that it is a Federal Government road, and there is little or nothing they could do.

“While we are, therefore, appealing to the Federal Government to come to our aid, we want the Oyo State and Iwajowa Local Government Area to note that Oyo citizens ply this road, and not Federal officials from Abuja; we hope something can be done fast about this road.

“Majority of our people are farmers, and we need a good road to be transporting our produce to the major towns, as well as bringing in other items into Ayegun; so we are calling on all the three tiers of government to work out ways by which the road leading to our community can be tarred, as it will bring about further development,” the Alayegun said.

Apart from the road, the royal father said there is no electricity supply to the community, “and this makes Ayegun look and feel like a stone-age community.

“We also need a standard government hospital; we have a government hospital here but it is not really up to standard, and we have lost many sick people after being referred to more standard government hospitals outside our community.

“Don’t also forget that the bad road reduces the speed at which we can get to another town; so when we have a medical emergency, the person is likely to give up before even reaching half of the way,” Oba Alao stressed.

Also corroborating the Alayegun, a traditional chief in the community, Chief Amos Obatoki, also lamented the lack of potable water in the community.

“The whole community relies on a motorised borehole, and this is not good enough. There was a time a borehole was constructed for us, and before it even started pumping out water, strong wind blew the tank away; that marked the end of that project.

“We hope the Oyo State government will come to our aid; we need potable water, as this reduces the frequency through which one contracts diseases.

“I also want the state not to forget the land we had given it for the construction of an international border market. When they told us to provide a land, we did, but the border market was taken to Okerete, another border community; we are, therefore, using this opportunity to remind the state government about this,” Chief Obatoki said.

One interesting thing about Ayegun community is that no Nigerian telecommunications network works there; instead, the people rely on Benin Republic’s network for their communication needs. The two networks available in the community are MTN Benin and BBCom.

With this, they have only Benin Republic lines, and when someone from the community calls somebody in another part of the state, they are charged on international rates. When one is making a call from Ayegun, while the caller is being charged, the receiver is also being charged.

A public phone call operator in the community, Mrs Esther Olugbade, said it is not really easy taking this line of business in Ayegun.

“I travel to Benin Republic once a week to buy credit; I also take orders for SIM cards, and the only way to get to Safe or Moka in Benin is by travelling in the canoe.

“The fare is usually higher during the rainy season and cheaper during the dry season. I hope when Nigerian telecommunications operators read our story, they will come to our aid and site their masts in our town. The nearest telecommunications mast here is at Ijio, a journey of about an hour and a half.

“This telecommunications issue is making us feel like Beninoise, but we are Nigerians, we need more government presence here; we need facilities that will make our lives more meaningful,” Mrs Olugbade, who also runs a mobile phone charging business, said.

At the bank of the Opara River, which separates Ayegun and Benin Republic, there were some people waiting to cross, while others were expecting the return of their relatives who had travelled to Benin Republic on business.

Shortly before one gets to the river, there is a border post being manned by Immigration, Customs, State Security Service (SSS) Quarantine and Port Health officials of the Federal Ministry of Health.

An official of the Immigration Service, who declined to give his name, said there was free flow of people to and from Benin Republic since there was this pact among countries in the West African region on free passage of citizens.

“However, we are here to make sure that things are done in an orderly manner, and that the Customs are here to ensure that illegal and contraband goods are not brought into the country; the health officials screen people who are coming into Nigeria, especially of the dreaded Ebola disease,” the Immigration official said.

In the area of education, there are three primary schools in Ayegun, with no secondary school, so when pupils finish their primary education, they travel to Ijio or Okeho, for their secondary education.

According to another indigene of the town, Shabi Emmanuel, “because of the distance, our students cannot be day students; they only return at the end of term.

“What we just need in this community is a good road linking us with the rest of Nigeria; we don’t want to be cut-off from our people. If not that God has permanently separated Ayegun and Benin Republic with the river, most people will prefer identifying with Benin than Nigeria.

“Even now, there are traders who transact business only between Ayegun and Benin Republic; these people find it easier crossing the river than going through hell to reach the nearest Nigerian community by road.

“You just need to see the road at the other side of the border; the Nigerian government should do same for us,” Emmanuel pleaded.


www.tribune.com.ng/quicklinkss/features/item/16082-ayegun-dilemma-of-a-community-trapped-between-two-countries

MayorofLagos,desola,eggheader, tolz200,orlandoowoh, tribaleast, illugunboy,gbawe2,konmight,sloan

anagolized, tsolz200 , kiriji , boar , oyo ooni baje oooooo

onwundiyoruba: anagolized, tsolz200 , kiriji , boar
, oyo ooni baje oooooo

You are accursed

I know you are gonna run to the mods soon.


Typical traits of Igbos.

Lazy pvnks
I hate your race.

Bunch of fuvktards

tsolz200:


You are accursed

I know you are gonna run to the mods soon.


Typical traits of Igbos.

Lazy pvnks
I hate your race.

Bunch of fuvktards

oyo kini show ooooo

APC ON THE BRINK.

yorubakid1: MayorofLagos,desola,eggheader, tolz200,orlandoowoh, tribaleast, illugunboy,gbawe2,konmight,sloan

TA Orji is working..

see painment

tsolz200:


TA Orji is working..

onwundiyoruba: see painment

l

Anambra Adigo mma

tsolz200:


TA Orji is working..

fool!! What has T.O got to do with this, This about the rot and underdevelopment going on in yorubaland and not about abia state
How can a community be without electricity, hospital, good road ,potable water supply and the worst of it all no good communication network. This is the height of wickedness from our leaders and we should all condemn it not engaging in an ewar all the time
The mods need to the needful by moving this article to the FP and let's see if the govt will hear their plight and do something about it. Thank you

tsolz200: l

Anambra Adigo mma

ibadan kini soooo

onwundiyoruba: see painment

guy, abeg ignore the troll. don't join him in his trolling to avoid this trend being moved to the ethnic section

ibadan kini sooo

yorubakid1: guy, abeg ignore the troll. don't join him in his trolling to avoid this trend being moved to the ethnic section

kk, thanks

onwundiyoruba: kk, thanks

can you remove those pics.please

yorubakid1: fool!! What has T.O got to do with this, This about the rot and underdevelopment going on in yorubaland and not about abia state
How can a community be without electricity, hospital, good road ,potable water supply and the worst of it all no good communication network. This is the height of wickedness from our leaders and we should all condemn it not engaging in an ewar all the time
The mods need to the needful by moving this article to the FP and let's see if the govt will hear their plight and do something about it. Thank you

Ode
You are more accursed than I thought.
How is the plight of the Ibadan people your concern? Did they complain to you?
F00l
Why not create a thread about the sufferings of the erosion riddened land and beg the mods to push it to FP?
These Igbos are all cry babies
This is the Ibadan I know.



You and your cohorts can go and die a wasteful death
Anumanu

I will like to visit these village soon,probably visit benin republic too through the town.how can i get there from ibadan pls.

I was born nd bred in Ibadan, I've never heard of that community... OMG!!!