By The Metro 
AKURE — The Senior Special Assistant to Ondo State Governor on Forestry, Hon. Bidemi Joshua Obayangban, has issued a sharp rebuke to a faction of Ilaje indigenes who have taken to social media to criticise the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. He described the ongoing narrative against the Governor’s recent landmark approvals as “shortsighted, politically motivated, and a disservice to the progress of the riverine communities.”
The controversy stems from Facebook commentary in which certain critics claimed that the Ilaje nation has no need for new schools, instead demanding the establishment of an Oceanography University. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Hon. Obayangban cautioned the governor’s kinsmen against politicising the structural development of their homeland, noting that such demands reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of the state’s existing academic landscape.
“It is deeply ironic that people are clamouring on social media for a dedicated Oceanography university when, right in our backyard at the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH) in Okitipupa, there is already a fully operational Department of Marine Science and Oceanography,” Obayangban stated. “Why should the government expend billions replicating an institution that sits right next door? True leadership is about the strategic allocation of resources, not pursuing redundant projects born of emotional blackmail.”
Hon. Obayangban, a staunch supporter of the Governor, emphasised that the recent approvals for the Aboto College of Education and the College of Nursing Sciences in the Igbokoda axis were meticulously designed to address long-standing systemic crises in Ilaje.
“For years, our people have cried out about marginalisation and the severe shortage of healthcare professionals in our riverine areas,” he explained. “Governor Aiyedatiwa has responded by bringing two pillars of human development directly to Ilaje. A School of Nursing means we are training our own sons and daughters to save lives within our communities, while a College of Education secures the intellectual future of our children. To suggest that Ilaje does not need these schools is to advocate for perpetual backwardness.”
Addressing a separate group of elders who have opposed the Dangote Free Trade Zone project, citing fears of a “systematic land grab,” Hon. Obayangban expressed deep concern over the precedent being set by resisting major industrial investment.
“How can a region experience meaningful development if we are actively chasing away investors?” he asked. “Can any transformation, job creation, or modern infrastructure occur without the availability of land? Let it be clear: Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is far too sophisticated and globally exposed to ever sell off Ilaje land.”
The SSA clarified that modern governance relies on legally sound, sustainable development agreements rather than the permanent disposal of assets. He explained that the government utilises robust leasehold frameworks, which grant investors temporary access to bring in capital and create thousands of industrial jobs, while ensuring that ultimate ownership remains securely with the host communities. “If we allow fear to dictate our policies and drive away global players, our coastal communities will remain economically stagnant while our neighbours prosper.”
In his address, the SSA noted that it is a historic privilege for the Southern senatorial district and the Ilaje people specifically to have one of their own presiding over the affairs of Ondo State. He expressed disappointment that the most vocal critics are often the Governor’s own kinsmen.
“No government can solve every problem in a day, but Governor Aiyedatiwa has shown an unprecedented commitment to the people of Ilaje,” Obayangban said. “Instead of using the internet to insult a man who is actively building our future, our youth and elders must learn to appreciate these milestones. We must support the administration’s industrial agenda and use our voices to build up Ilaje, rather than tearing down the walls of progress out of sheer ignorance.”