Introduction
Before I start my presentation at this annual lecture, it is important for me (and I believe every one of us) to acknowledge the supremacy of God the Almighty, for His love over me (and us all), for making it possible for me to be here on this very important occasion.
I pay homage to our able and respected monarch of Awa Osule, His Royal Highness, The Limeri of Awa-Ijebu, Oba Abib Amos Awobajo, Lagbelu 11. My chest is flat on the ground as I say, Kaabiyeeesiiii oooooo, Ki Ade pe lori, ki bata pe lese, ki odigba Oba pe lorun. Esin Oba a j’oko pe l’ase Edumare.
My gratitude and appreciation also go to the Limeri-in-council and the Planning Committee of Awa Day Annual Lecture for believing in my ability to deliver this lecture, without whose recommendation and approval, I will not be standing in front of you now to deliver this annual lecture.
I equally recognize the presence of this year Chairman in person of Alhaji Femi Salami, the presenters of Awa Day Lectures in 2021 and 2022, Dr. Michael Fesojaye and Dr. (Mrs.) Adebimpe A. Adegoke respectively, who’s presentations have been of great help in preparing this lecture.
Finally, I greet all sons and daughters of Awa Ijebu here present, other invited dignitaries and persons here in this hall for coming to grace this occasion. It is a privilege and honour to be here with you all.
Let’s me start by reminding us of this year theme; unlocking Awa-Ijebu potentials for the prosperity of the people and permit me to further break down some of the important component to enable us get to the better understanding of the theme. Those words are “unlocking”, “Potentials”, “prosperity”, and “people”
Unlocking means to open something, especially a door that is locked (fastened with a lock) using a key: like say, I think I left the garage door unlocked. Or say an electronic device: To enter a password or number in order to be able to use a mobile phone; means you are unlocking it. You need to know the secret PIN to unlock your mobile phone upon power up.
Potentials means someone or something have the necessary abilities or qualities to become successful or useful in the future. It can also be something that will develop in a certain way or be able to do something; natural ability or quality that shows something good.
Prosperity is a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects and atimes, good fortune. In other words, prosperity enables people to gain meaningful employment, pursue the opportunities they desire, lead productive lives, and build a future for their families and friends
It’s important to mention that prosperity is more than finances, success, or thriving; it is also about peace, health, mutual support, and respect for all people.
People means a collective group of human beings belonging to a particular/specific nation, community, society or ethnicity. The word peoples, on the other hand, means the same as ‘people’ but it’s used to denote groups of people belonging to different communities, ethnicities, religions, nationalities, etc. I will be referring to people in this context as the Awa Ijebu community going forward.
Community Prosperity means ensuring that everyone is doing well in our community. In other words, a community is said to be prosperous when it has effective institutions, an open economy, and empowered people who are healthy and educated. Everybody should be able to build a life free from poverty. People should be able to take care of their physical and mental health and have access to effective healthcare. Learning is valued and everyone should receive some high-quality education, so they can reach their potential
Community Prosperity is a multidimensional concept, captured through three domains, which are the essential foundations of prosperity —those domains can usually take the form of INITIATIVES, INVESTMENTS and INTERVENTIONS.
To archive community prosperity, there must be the 5Es present namely – Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Environmental opportunities which must be laid out in a social responsibility, economic and civil engagement plan with priorities built on three strong pillars of success namely Structure, Strategy and System.
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Therefore, we must ensure that our community in this case Awa Ijebu, put in place a plan that will lead us to prosperity, for example;
1. Social Inclusion: this means that we will be well positioned to tackle the social inequalities, prejudices and barriers that continue to affect people’s lives and choices in the community
• We should engage with, involve and inspire our people to develop their understanding of social inclusion and how to foster inclusive and effective solutions. These can be delivered through a wide variety of key initiatives which could be say Awa Educational Initiative.
This initiative will provide a platform for Equity and Merit where support for academically excellent students from the town who have the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable development are provided with scholarships, either full or partial.
Another aspect of this initiative is the Access Programs which aims to help students from under-represented backgrounds to secure entry to higher institutions of learning and promote the quality and quantity of education. Funding can be direct or indirect by working with CDAs, CDC, LG, State and National Government, international bodies, etc.
We must therefore be Involved, Inclusive and Inspired for us to prosper as a community
2. Skills and Employment Initiative which will be an innovative employment and training initiative at the heart of the plan. The key aim is to play a role in transforming life chances in community by supporting unemployed people back into work and helping to develop skills needed for employment. An example could be Awa Development Council which could serve as an Initiative or be an NGO which would drive direct/indirect interventions for the benefit of our people.
This will be achieved through a partnership with higher institution of learning, corporate organizations as intents, government related programs and social enterprise with a mission to enable growth, create jobs and improves the people in Awa Ijebu
Wemust therefore Promote, Participate and Partner for us to proper as a community
3. Economic Wellbeing: the vision here is to increase economic wellbeing, develop new sectors, innovate, and improve productivity for all people and all areas of our town. The aim is to enable healthy, sustainable, inclusive, economic innovation in key economic sectors of the regional economy through;
• working with business and other partners to develop MSMEs, with focus on cottage industries, Agric-businesses, entertainment and sport promotions, financial services real estate and housing, etc.
• playing a lead role in establishing new businesses to advance manufacturing, construction, services and productivity.
• Engagement with national and regional economic agencies and policy development.
We can start with Awa Business Council which could be an initiative and can further transform into an investment platform to speck for the people.
This can make the people of Awa-Ijebu to unlock their full potential, drive sustainability, industrialization, and foster economic prosperity for their people, attract capital and create higher value-added products in the Agric-business, financial services and manufacturing sectors. The council can also create a conductive environment that provides investors with confidence that their assets will be secure by improving property, rights, rule of law, fiscal sustainability, and civil and cultural policies.
It can engage with the government at all levels to develop essential infrastructures which will keep cost low for customers
It can involve the establishment of Awa Business Hub for startups and scaling businesses, Awa Microfinance Bank as a financing vehicle for individuals, groups, and businesses. Awa Cottage Industry Pack for the development of small and middle enterprises for industrialization, among many others.
We must therefore Cooperate, Collaborate and Consult for us to prosper as a community
4. Cultural Engagement: this is another key driver to the proposed social development strategy. It will give a distinct priority to our cultural and creative activities as they function as a bridge between our people and other communities. Each of our unique cultural institution should be made to focus on building civic, national and international partnerships which will advance the social, environmental and individual wellbeing of our communities. These institutions will engage individuals, civil society organizations, educators, leaders and employers through diverse collections, ideas, objects, events, performances, exhibitions, partnerships and inspirational spaces. They will work actively with schools, religious organizations, CDAs and other interest group in the community at large to provide a place of exchange, inspiration, knowledge and enjoyment. Each of them will have their own educational programs, which will be developed and led by expert and joint working with other institutions.
We must therefore Encourage, Engauge and Exchange cultural and creative activities for us to proper as a community
5. Better Health: we should be committed to promoting good health and wellbeing for our citizens, both locally and state wide. We can collaborate with Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), NHIS, and or other similar health innovative program by the Local, State and National government that can promote good health standing for the citizen. Through these collaborations, we shall be tackling key health issues/challenges, particularly in relation to fighting communicable and non-communicable diseases.
We must therefore Cooperate, Collaborate and Consult for us to proper as a community
In conclusion, Awa community has a crucial opportunity to attract capital and foster higher value-added, export-oriented manufacturing sectors, which are essential for industrialisation and economic growth. Awa community must create a conducive environment for intra-community trade, facilitate the growth of domestic industries, and build strong and resilient economies. Awa community should actively promote policies and strategies that support the consumption of home-made products, investment in domestic industries, and the overall development of a robust manufacturing sector. To capitalise on this opp-ortunity, it is recommended that Awa community prioritise the domestication of the local Trade agreement. This would enable Awa to strengthen its industrial base, reduce dependence on imports, and promote the growth of indigenous Awa industries. By doing so, Awa community can unlock its full potential, drive sustainable industrialisation, and foster economic prosperity for their people.
Thank you for your patience and attention.
