Ex Ondo Assembly Candidate Condemns Attack On Peaceful Protesters, Calls For OSOPADEC Autonomy


Barely 24-Hours after the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District of Ondo State, Nicholas Tofowomo declared an alleged police brutality of some youths who staged a peaceful protest to Government House in Akure as unlawful, a former Ondo State House of Assembly candidate, Ilaje Constituency II, Hon Emmanuel Lebile has joined in the condemnation of the alleged police action, describing it as malicious.
The senator had on Monday condemned the alleged brutality of youths from Ilaje Local Government Area of the state who where at the governor’s office to protest against the non-development of the riverine areas by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Commission (OSOPADEC), but were dispersed by the operatives attached to the governor’s office.
However, in a chat with The Nigerian Observer on Wednesday, Hon Lebile said it was an act of patriotism for the youths to unite and peacefully demand for what rightly belong to them as people from the area.
Lebile who contested on the platform of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the 2019 National and State Houses of Assembly election alleged that, the law guiding Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and OSOPADEC states that 13% of crude oil revenue should be given to area where the resources was derived.
The Ex Ondo House of Assembly candidate called on Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to stop the attack on the peaceful protesters, adding, the Governor should commence development of the affected areas instead.

He called for equal development for all Local Government Areas in the state, and grant autonomy to OSOPADEC to allow it make judicious use of it resources, which he noted would go a long way to promote peace and accountability in the state.

While enjoining the people of the state especially those of Ilaje/Ese-Odo to think anew in the forthcoming governorship polls, he urged them to elect a governor that would carry everyone along in the quest to development of the state.

According to him, “I don’t think it is unpatriotic for a group of people to come together to demand for their birthrights or better still the dividends of democracy to suppose to benefit from, from a government that claims to represent their interests at all levels.

“the natural resources used in developing Ondo state is being extracted from Ilaje/Ese-Odo local government areas with nothing in return. This has been the case as each government that has come into power in the state had in one way or the other use this funds for their personal gains”.






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