How I broke 16-year-old water jinx with Jimoh Ibrahim’s empowerment fund – Aide
Mr Ilemobayo Odunjo, a 26-year-old Community Liaison Assistant (CLA) to Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim says he used his N300,000 empowerment fund to complete a borehole project in his Ikoya community, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Supreme News reports that Ibrahim, representing Ondo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, had, during the celebration of his 100 days in office recently, appointed 100 aides and gave each of them N300,000.
Odunjo, in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday, said that accessibility to clean water had been a serious challenge to his community in the last 16 years.
He said that the situation had gotten so bad that people had to trek to a far-away Lokunlo river to fetch water for their daily activities.
The legislative aide said that he had promised to alleviate the age-long suffering of his people if he had the means, adding, however, that his efforts as an undergraduate had not yielded result.
“Luckily for me, my name was listed among the new aides to the distinguished senator and immediately I got the N300,000, I decided to use it to break the age-long water accessibility jinx among my people.
“Although many people discouraged me, I was resolute in fulfilling my pledge to my community.
“Initially, I thought N300,000 would complete the entire project, but I later discovered that it was insufficient. I later received support from friends and other people, as the project eventually gulped N420,000.
“The borehole is functioning as I speak; my people are happy and I am happy and fulfilled too.
“I thank everyone who supported my vision and Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim for counting me worthy to be among his aides, and with the fund which I utilised to break the lack of water in my community for 16 years,” Odunjo said.
An elder in the community, Prophet Omonuwa Ogunneso, who spoke with newsmen on behalf of the residents, lauded the construction of the borehole, saying it had solved the age-long challenge in the community.
He also praised Odunjo for using the little opportunity he had to rescue the community at a time that hope had already been lost.
“Ilemobayo has been a good boy from his childhood, as he used to give elderly people stipends then, even when he had nothing.
“Since the completion of the borehole, everyone has been praying for him and I am sure he will go places in the nearest future because he has a good heart.
“I can vouch for him that he will be a good representative of the community in any capacity because he has the interest of his people at heart and I want to urge other youths to emulate him,” Ogunneso said.
