Yoruba community in Enugu State has cried out over what it described as total neglect and marginalisation by the present Enugu State government led by Sullivan Chime.
The aggrieved members of Yoruba community, who made their feelings public through their leader, Mr. Ade Johnson Adeyelu, regretted that the group which was formed in 1990 and registered under then Anambra State Government had never before now experienced marginalisation in the state.
Adeyelu said that his people voted for state government during the last general election and wondered why Chime’s government has since inception not cared for their welfare.
His words: “We have passed through series of military governors and military administrators down the line to the civilian governors.
“Over these years, we have enjoyed some sort of patronage from the government, patronage in the sense that some Yorubas then were given the opportunity to be members of the Muslim Welfare Board. As a result of that they were given one or two slots to participate in Hajj Operations in Medina. From that 1990, down to when Chimaroke became governor, we still enjoyed the slots that were given to the Yoruba community in Enugu.
“There is no doubt we are facing a lot of problems in this state. We have not benefited anything from the present administration in Enugu State. We as a community we have participated in almost all the activities of the state. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the present Hajj operation, which we recommended people to participate. But up till now, there is no single Yoruba man that belongs to the Yoruba community that was given any slot to participate in the Hajj operation.”
Adeyelu recalled that since governor Chime came on board, he had written about five letters seeking for audience with him, to let his government know the problems of the Yoruba community but unfortunately none of the letters was replied.
He also expressed disappointment that Chime does not care and had not asked leaders of non-indigenes in his state the problems their various groups are facing in the state, just as he regretted that the immediate past administration cancelled the allocation of land given to the Yoruba community to build its secretariat by the former military governor of the state, Navy Captain Mike Agbaje.
The secretariat, he said, would have served as a centre where the Yoruba cultural heritage would have been sold to the people, adding that all the promises of re-allocation of another land to the community made by the past administration, did not yield fruitful dividend until its tenure expired in 2007.
Besides, Adeyelu advised all members of the Yoruba community in the state to remain calm, law abiding and loyal not only to their host state but to the Federal Government as there is still hope for a better tomorrow for them.
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