Zainab Abioye
The Olorunda community in Ogun State has embarked on a series of self-help projects to address critical infrastructure and social needs, even as the traditional institution called for increased government intervention in areas beyond its capacity.
The Orunda 1 of Olorunda, Oba Joshua Olusegun Phillips Ogunsola, disclosed this on Tuesday at Motun Hotel Event Hall during a press conference to herald the 2026 Olorunda Day celebration.
The celebration is themed, “Unity, Heritage and Progress.”
The monarch said the community’s development initiatives were driven by the need to improve living conditions, create opportunities for youths and preserve the heritage handed down by previous generations.
He identified the construction of a sports facility as one of the community’s major self-help projects, lamenting that standard sports fields previously attached to Olorunda’s public primary and secondary schools had been sold and converted to buildings.
Oba Ogunsola said repeated appeals to the government for intervention yielded little result, forcing residents to mobilise resources to provide an alternative facility for young people.
He said the stadium-like facility had been commissioned as part of activities marking the Olorunda Day celebration and was already being used by youths for athletic competitions.
The monarch also disclosed that the community had revived its market, which had remained inactive for more than three decades.
According to him, the market is now operational and providing residents with an avenue to sell agricultural produce and boost local commerce.
On security, Ogunsola said the community now had a divisional police station and an Army base, while approval had also been secured for the establishment of offices for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Despite the achievements, the monarch stressed that community self-help should not be interpreted as a replacement for government’s responsibility.
He appealed to the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate the Lafenwa-Olorunda road, describing its condition as a major impediment to economic activities and movement.
Ogunsola said a journey that should ordinarily take about 15 minutes now takes approximately 45 minutes because of the poor condition of the road.
He also called for government intervention in agriculture and mining, citing destruction of farmlands by cattle and inadequate regulation of mining activities as major challenges threatening investment and livelihoods in the area.
The monarch further appealed for improved access to potable water and electricity, saying the community’s growing population required more infrastructure.
He noted that a solar-powered borehole had recently been provided following an appeal to the government but stressed that one facility was insufficient for the size of Olorunda.
Speaking on the 2026 Olorunda Day theme, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Chief Abdul-Azeez Mubashir, said “Unity, Heritage and Progress” captured the community’s determination to build on the foundation laid by previous generations.
Mubashir said the development initiatives were not designed for the benefit of the monarch and traditional leaders alone but were aimed at creating a better future for youths and students.
Also speaking, the Iyalode of Olorunda, Chief Saulat Bakare, commended the progress recorded under the monarch’s leadership.
She expressed optimism that the revival of the market would be sustained and expanded, creating more commercial opportunities and jobs for artisans and other residents.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Olorunda, Pastor Michael Adeshina Oliyide, also praised the community’s development strides and the cooperation among Christian, Muslim and traditional leaders.
The monarch urged Olorunda indigenes living in Nigeria and abroad to contribute ideas, investments and resources towards the development of their ancestral community.
He stressed that sustaining the community’s progress would require a partnership involving residents, government and other stakeholders.
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