How Oba ALATISHE Hosted Ojude Oba OSOSA

• The GBEGANDE Of OSOSA Talks About His Achievements

Not many people know that the people of Ososa Ijebu town, near Ijebu-Ode always celebrate Ojude Oba Festival.

They have done this for the past 13 years. This years event took place on the 2nd day of Ileya 2023 at Oba Gbegande’s Palace.

Usually, Alaiyeluwa, Oba Toye Alatishe, is the Chief Host, ably assisted by his beautiful wife.

This year had the installation ceremony of Genco Sanli & Adenike Tinubu as the Bobasanya & Erelu Bobasanya of Ososa Ijebu.

In his speech, Oba Alatishe revealed a lot about Ososa.

“The Ojude Oba Ososa is a day after Sallah (Ileya) that Muslim faithfuls come to greet the King and pray to Almighty Allah in appreciation of all HE has done for us in the past year, but it has become a day when all sons and daughters and our friends regardless of religion and creed join us in celebration. It has become one of our most outstanding annual festivals rivalling the one @ Ijebu-Ode which occurs a day after.”

“I am indeed glad to see the turnout of today which, despite the present economic situations, has surpassed that of last year.”

“In terms of Security, we now have an Ososa Security Fund headed by community leaders who are capable whose Chairman is Otunba Adeniyi Adeneye (Okiki). An office for the security men has been furnished in Oba Gbegande Market. Security has improved in Ososa”.

“In the area of Health, under the watch of our son, Dr. T. A. Lawal, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor of our State, a lot of improvement has happened particularly in our Health Centre.

The staff are well motivated and patients are timely attended to. Pregnant women now needing to do Ultrasound Scanning do not have to go to Ijebu Ode as the palace now boasts of a Modern Scan Machine which is operated by Kabiyesi himself.

In the area of Education, As in the past few years, our children now attend school without exemption. Ososa Comprehensive High School has been further enhanced with an ICT Centre donated by Alhaji Adebola Adegunwa the owner of Rites Food Ltd (Bigi Drinks).

Also, all classrooms furnished with modern seat and desks. The numbers of private school have doubled in the past one year and employment of graduates in the teaching profession has increased. We have very good principals in COMPO now in person of MRS. Alese and MRS. Oyesanwen. Ososa Descendants in UK have once again donated over 5000 pieces of exercise book for our schools; these will be presented today by Prince Bola Alatishe. May Almighty God continue to replenish the purses of all of you. Amen.

We are now a standard host community to the tertiary institution, as the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, graciously approved the transfer of several faculties to OSOSA. All landlords now smile to the banks because rents have since gone up.

In terms of Infrastructure, we must once again acknowledge the State Govt. and the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, the Governor of our dear state in the prompt relief extended to the families and households who were affected by the storm of last year November. The Govt. Emergency team was led by our special guest of today the most beautiful special adviser Hon. Femi Ilori-Oduntan.

They were ere in Ososa under 24hrs after the horrible events to give support and succour to our people and serious efforts were made thereafter to get the necessary reliefs to us. We are indeed very grateful.

We must also appreciate Aramco Naija Brothers in Saudi Arabia who donated two boreholes complete with sanctions and tanks to two different sites in Ososa.

Another one is to be sited at Odo-Owa very soon if it has not been completed by now. That is from the discussion we had with another son of the soil. Otunba Engr. Ayo Ibilola Jagun.

One major leap in the infrastructural development of Ososa in the past one year is the acquisition of the defunct landed property of Ayokunle Farms by Flour Mills of Nigeria. This is a major success to us considering how many years the factory has been closed down and on receivership of AMCON who clearly were not interested in the maintenance of the multimillion naira property such that the place was looted to virtually empty blocks with no roofs. Flour Mills Nigeria took the advice of G. M. Nike Tinubu, who today is being honoured and went all the way to acquire the property and have since started the rehabilitation of the whole complex. Nike (whom I lovingly call Nikky) is a very brilliant professional. She and her husband love Ososa and her people and we also love both of them in return. Today, in that refurbished factory, PCPl, a subsidiary of FMN, we have close to 500 employees who live in and around Ososa.

Mention must also be made of our diasporan sons Feyi Ajayi, and Kunle Talabi who both at different times donated over Fifty (50) solar street lamps into the town.

Finally but not the least, our dear town is going to be listed as a mineral-resources town when our new bitumen explorers hit the jackpot. We cannot wait for this to happen and we continue to pray for success for our investors”.

I now must congratulate all of us on what Almighty God has done in our lifes in the past year and to admonish our various Regberegbes that next year Ojude Oba will take a new turn by the special grace of God. We must learn to take active participation in the preparations of subsequent Ojude Obas. A new committee will be formed and new agenda will be set”.

“I want to thank our donors all the way from U.S.A. Omooba Charles “Halala” Ibrahim and his lovely wife Carol. I also want to immensely thank the O.U.S. led by Arc. Boye Ogunbadejo for the role played in mediating in the town hall dispute. It is all over. May God bless you all.

Our indefatigable major Sponsors: 7UP of Nigeria, Lacasera, Flour Mills of Nigeria, PCPl, Baba Oba Ayo Ogunde, Chief Biodun Shobanjo (CEO of Troyka). We thank you all. May Almighty Allah continue to bless you”.