By Goke Williams Stakeholders of the Akure-speaking communities have been called to mobilize their shared heritage of cooperation to address pressing developmental challenges and secure a prosperous future for the region. Delivering a keynote address titled "Akure-Speaking Communities at a Crossroads: Heritage, Development Realities and Pathways to a Shared Future", on Wednesday, Dr. Adeniyi Ijogun, Managing Partner of Billing Cost Associates and Chairman, Membership Board of the African Association of Quantity Surveyors, said the communities stand at a historic turning point that demands collective action. The address, delivered to royal fathers, scholars, community leaders and diaspora members, noted that Akure South, Akure North and parts of Ifedore LGAs have historically thrived through diplomacy, trade, military alliances, kinship and communal self-help. "The greatest achievements of these communities emerged through collaboration rather than isolation. That same sp...
By Goke Williams
Stakeholders of the Akure-speaking communities have been called to mobilize their shared heritage of cooperation to address pressing developmental challenges and secure a prosperous future for the region.
Delivering a keynote address titled "Akure-Speaking Communities at a Crossroads: Heritage, Development Realities and Pathways to a Shared Future", on Wednesday, Dr. Adeniyi Ijogun, Managing Partner of Billing Cost Associates and Chairman, Membership Board of the African Association of Quantity Surveyors, said the communities stand at a historic turning point that demands collective action.
The address, delivered to royal fathers, scholars, community leaders and diaspora members, noted that Akure South, Akure North and parts of Ifedore LGAs have historically thrived through diplomacy, trade, military alliances, kinship and communal self-help.
"The greatest achievements of these communities emerged through collaboration rather than isolation. That same spirit is what we need today," Dr. Ijogun stated.
Contemporary Challenges Identified
Dr. Ijogun highlighted 8 major challenges threatening the region:
1. Urban expansion and spatial inequality – Rapid growth in Akure metropolis vs. underdeveloped surrounding communities
2. Youth unemployment and brain drain despite institutions like FUTA and Rufus Giwa Poly
3. Agricultural underdevelopment and threats to food security
4. Infrastructure deficits in roads, power, water, and digital connectivity
5. Rising insecurity including kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts
6. Cultural erosion and declining proficiency in indigenous dialects
7. Governance fragmentation across political and administrative boundaries
8. Underutilized diaspora resources
Proposed Pathways to a Shared Future
To address these, Ijogun proposed the establishment of an Akure-Speaking Communities Development Council (ASCDC) as a permanent body for policy coordination and project implementation.
Other recommendations include:
- Akure Historical Charter and Digital Heritage Archive to preserve oral traditions and records
- Integrated Regional Infrastructure Strategy covering inter-community roads, energy, and broadband
- Akure Heritage and Cultural Tourism Corridor to boost jobs and preserve identity
- Youth Leadership Academy and investment in agro-industrial clusters
- Akure Regional Security Forum for intelligence sharing and conflict prevention
- Diaspora Development Trust Fund to channel investment, skills and technology home
- Documentation of Akure dialects and annual monitoring of development targets
Drawing lessons from models like the OLAMBE Area CDC in Ogun and OKOBI Initiative in Imo, Dr. Ijogun emphasized reviving Àjọṣe — the philosophy of collective effort for the common good.
"The choice before us is not between tradition and modernity, but between fragmented development and coordinated progress," he said. "The opportunities are REAL, the time to ACT is yesterday but HISTORY will forgive us if we ACT NOW!!"
He concluded that by transforming their shared past into coordinated action, the Akure-speaking communities can become a leading model of indigenous regional development in Nigeria.
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