In a bid to curb misinformation and to lend voice to resolving the crisis, Insight Media in conjunction with the leadership of the Ilobu National Students Union (INSU) embarked on fact-finding mission on the project.
On Wednesday July 2, the president of INSU received a text message from a member of the union who asked him on what the union is doing on the project. According to the President, he sent a message to Mr Yusuf Adepoju to seek an audience with him on the matter.
In response to the enquiry to him, the ACADIP Founder said, “Thanks my dear brother. Sadly, the University project is no more visible in our town any longer. We tried all our best possible, but, Ilobu rejected the offer!”
In an interaction with some members of the group, some names of individuals were mentioned as stakeholders in the negotiation with the palace and our correspondent spoke with them.
Among those mentioned are Mr Shafi Oguntunde, who is known to be in charge of land for the community and some Imams of central mosques in Ilobu and few chiefs.
On getting to the palace, the monarch who has travelled to a South American country as at the time was said to have no knowledge about the request for land for the university.
The Babakekere of Ilobu, Chief Raufu Ayokunnu said the palace was unaware of the request and all information in the community are attempts to blackmail the monarch and the palace.
He said, “my children, let us forget about that. Go and ask Yusuf or his father, Alhaji Jamiu Adepoju if he any of them has requested for land from Olobu. Yusuff is very close to Olobu, has he told Kabiesi that he wants a land. His father is my very good friend and he has not requested for land. As Kabiesi is not around, I’ll be here (in palace) and no one has come here to request land.”
However, in his account, Mr Shafi Oguntunde said he had taken the organization to a land in Opapa area of the town but was told by Olobu before he travelled that ACADIP will pay.
His words, “I stumbled on a discussion where they said there is no land in Ilobu. But I quickly told them that we still have land. I took the organization to a land and gave Olobu feedback. Olobu said I should tell them to go and bring money.”
When probed about the amount requested by Olobu l, he said “Kabuesi did not mention any amount”.
During a roundtable discussion with Mallam Adepoju, on July 3rd, 2019, he was asked the steps he had taken to request for land from the Palace.
His narration goes thus, “When we started this project, many did not believe in our vision. Some even said where are we going to get money to fund the project. Even Olobu told me that university project is not something we can lay our hands upon as it is too big for us. Concerning the issue of land, during our deliberation at the board level of ACADIP, Ilobu was not in the original plan. I wanted to use my power to hijack the project down here.
” What I wanted to do was to cite the land as a basis of bringing it to Ilobu. Modakeke has given us land of 200 hectares, Kishi 200 hectares, Ikunsin 100 hectares and Ilorin 50 hectares with documents handed over to us. But Ilobu has resorted to turning it into commotion which is very disturbing.
When asked if he had a discussion with the Kabiesi or sent a letter to the palace, Adepoju said, “since Olobu has told our emissaries that there is no land, we don’t need to send any letter again. Even the Ilobu Development Union has intervened but the matter remain the same.
” Although, I discussed it with Kabiesi that we are bringing a university to Ilobu but he said we don’t have financial capacity to establish a university. That was when he told me that we will be embarking on a journey that will last for four months. So, I have known that before he would come around, it may be in October and we can’t wait till then.
“We have concluded on another town and work will commence soon. Maybe when we have started, we will bring a faculty to Ilobu.”
IDU’s Intervention
During a chat with the President of the union, Alh Dauda Adebisi-Balogun, he told Insight media that he was aware that the ACADIP were taken to a land but were stopped from working on it by Olobu before he traveled.
His full narration ” they (ACADIP) were taken to a land by Shafi but Olobu said he was unaware. So in order for us to do the needful, we told Yusuff to meet with Olobu or at least bring a letter that we can attach a memo to and forward it to Olobu but he has not done either of the two. So, there is nothing the union can do. ACADIP has not done the right thing but Yusuff is telling people that Olobu said there is no land.”
All efforts to persuade ACADIP to send an official communication to the palace before Olobu came back proved abortive, even INSU delegates.
Drama after Olobu’s arrival
According to sources from the palace, Olobu returned to the town on Monday, July 22, 2019. So, the delegation of Insight media and INSU moved to meet with ACADIP founder on Sunday, August 4 to ask about the latest on the issue.
Mallam Yusuff Adepoju, who said he had concluded within himself that he will not discuss the issue with anybody in Ilobu as “the project has gone completely to another town”. But he would do the delegation a honour as it will be final discussion on the matter.
His narration, ” when Kabiesi came around, he was told and he gave the delegation that went to meet him that he would only cede land if ACADIP fulfils two conditions. They are; all Ilobu sons and daughters will be attending the institution on free of charge and two, ACADIP should produce the NUC approval given to them.
“These two condition are never realistic. One, NUC will not give approval to school with a structure and there is no way all Ilobu sons and daughters will be attending a private institution for free.
” So we considered it as a way of telling us there is no land.”
When asked if he met with Kabiesi or how he got the information, he said “my meeting with Kabiesi will not do anything special. Concerning how we got information, our emissaries gave us feedback. You can confirm from Alhaji Akodo, Baara of Ilobu and Mr Shafi Oguntunde. All of them were there when Kabiesi said it.”
When also asked where the institution has been sited since he said it is no more visible for Ilobu, he simply said, “we will reveal that to public soon.”
In a chat with Alhaji Akodo same day, he said he was not there when Olobu made such demands.
The Chief Baara of Ilobu, who was also said to be in the meeting, also said Olobu never made such demands. He confirmed that he was at the meeting with the Kabiesi a week after he arrived. He said what Kabiesi requested was any official communication sent to or receive from NUC conveying their intentions to establish a private university.
Chief Baara clarified that Olobu said the project is a business and if his children will attend, they will also pay. He said during the course of the meeting, “at no time did Olobu said all Ilobu indigenes will attend the school for free.”
The Chief also said he and other chiefs have severally sent ACADIP emissaries back to the founder to see the king or send a letter to the palace requesting a parcel of land but he has not done either. “He sits in his office and expect land to be awarded to him just like that? It’s not possible.”
Insight media also obtained a copy of letter sent by Crestfield, founders of Westland polytechnics that is ongoing at former Laarosin grammar school.
Reacting on behalf of Olobu, the Babakekere of Ilobu, Chief Raufu Ayokunnu on Monday August 5, gave same narration as Chief Baara. He however, added that “Olobu will cede land to ACADIP today, if Yusuff comes to the palace to request and he can provide any correspondence from NUC. But I can’t say this will be the terms they will agree on”.
He added that Shafi is under investigation by the palace for setting the ACADIP against the monarch, adding that the people of Oguntunde whose land was shown to ACADIP have raised eyebrows and were ready to fight the monarch at a meeting of ” Omo oba” until Olobu asked if he informed him before he (Shafi) took them to the land. The answer which he couldn’t provide.
