…Calls on Aiyedatiwa to Open Ode Aye/Igbotako Expressway
By Sunday Ameh
Ode-Aye community, the headquarters of Aye Kingdom in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, has experienced a significant security enhancement with the commencement of full operations at the newly established Divisional Police Headquarters.
Confirming the development on Tuesday, High Chief Ademola Adewinle, PhD, the Petu of Aye Kingdom and traditional prime minister of the community, stated that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) has assumed duty, with over 20 police personnel deployed to the division, in contrast to when the station functioned merely as a police post with only three officers.
He added that the community has made efforts to support the station by providing necessary office equipment to aid police operations.
Also speaking, the President of the Fusion of Aye Development Association (FOADA), Chief Henry Olatujoye, described the development as long overdue. “They have commenced operations fully, and this is what we have been demanding from the Nigeria Police Force. Ode-Aye is big enough to have a Divisional Police Office,” Olatujoye said in an interview with Starnews NG on Monday.
He revealed that during a fact-finding visit to the station on Saturday, FOADA officials met the newly posted DPO, SP Oginni from Rivers State, alongside other senior officers. The delegation was briefed on the operational challenges facing the station.
According to him, FOADA donated ₦500,000 to assist the division in addressing urgent needs. “They were very happy about it. The money was given to them by the Federation of Aye Development Association. What we are doing right now is to add one or two missing items in the office,” he added while commending the professionalism of the officers deployed to the area.
Community leaders expressed optimism that the new Divisional Headquarters would strengthen security, improve police presence, and enhance rapid response in Ode-Aye and its environs.
Efforts to speak with the King were unsuccessful as the Alayelope of Aye Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba Williams Akinmusayo Akinlade, UyI Oba 1, was said to be very busy with a meeting.
Meanwhile, Starnews NG reports that the establishment of a police divisional headquarters is long overdue because Aye Kingdom is the second-largest community after Okitipupa township in the LGA, comprising several villages and farm settlements with a rising population.
The community, popularly referred to as the Gateway to Ikale Land, is the first major town when entering Ikale Land from Ore town.
According to history and assessment report on the Ikale district written by B.J.A. Mathews in 1932, Ode-Aye community hosted the first Ikale market, established by Oloja Logbemuwa Lapoki in Igbaje, a place of wealth and trade, which is now a village under Ode-Aye. Igbaje means “Igba Aje” in the Yoruba language, i.e., a calabash of trade and wealth.
The first United Bank for Africa (UBA) which served the old Ikale division, comprising Ilaje, Okitipupa, Irele, and Ese Odo local governments, was hosted by Ode-Aye community before it was recently moved to Okitipupa town. One of the first established customary courts in the old Ikale district during the time of the Western Region was situated in Ode-Aye by the late Obafemi Awolowo before the community began to witness marginalisation. Ode Aye community formerly hosted the orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Teacher Training College before they were relocated.
Ode-Aye has one of the best social lives in the history of Ikale, known for its peppered bushmeats, palm wine, and local rich food.
The community, which has suffered significant development setbacks at the hands of successive governments in Ondo State, has called on the state governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to resume the construction of the Ode-Aye/Igbotako express road, a project initiated by the government of the late Adebayo Adefarati but has since been abandoned by previous administrations.
Speaking to Starnews NG, the Petu, who commended Governor Aiyedatiwa’s giant strides in road construction and the creation of infrastructure across the state, stated that the government should prioritise the opening of the road which he described as essential.
According to him, “This road is crucial for our community’s development and accessibility. We urge the governor to take swift action and ensure its completion for the betterment of our people,” he said
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