About 3,500 indigenes of Ibadan, Oyo State, have benefited from the soft loans of Jericho Businessmen Club (JBC) through a sum of about three hundred and thirty million Naira warehoused in one of the banks for that purpose.
Remi Ibrahim Babalola, president of JBC who disclosed this when he and his members paid a courtesy visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II on Friday, said the club awarded university scholarship to 10 indigent but brilliant students to cover the duration of their studies, refurbishing and stocking of Primary Health Centres with drugs.
The club was also at the palace on traditional annual homage to the Ibadan paramount ruler as part of the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) events of the Club.
Babalola, who is Jagun Balogun of Ibadanland, stated that “our Club has made portable water through boreholes available to a secondary school each in all the five local government areas in Ibadan city while we want to embark on similar project in the remaining six local government areas in Ibadan Less city.
“The provision of portable water for the identified secondary schools is to ensure accessibility to clean water for the use of the students and the communities where they are located. We engage in other things for the benefits of the generality of our people through involvement in policy advocacy, formulation and direction like the town hall meeting spearheaded during our recently held Ibadan Festival Week where we engaged experts on waste management to enhance the beauty of our land.
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“Also, our Club has made portable water through boreholes available to a secondary school each in all the five local government areas in Ibadan city while we want to embark on similar project in the remaining six local government areas in Ibadan Less city.”
Babalola also said that the visit was to, among other things, let Kabiyesi know the activities of the Club in Ibadan in the last one year.
The President said, “We always come round to brief our referred father what we are doing to bring development to our land. As said, we know that government alone cannot solve all the societal problems and that’s why we identify critical areas we can come in. In the last one year, our Club identified the Primary Health Centres at Aremo, Agbongbon, Inalende, Isale-Osi among others as in need of intervention which we happily did.”
The Club enjoined Oba Balogun to interface with other Clubs and Associations to join hands with it in its desire to make Ibadan great, noting that with little contributions in various forms here and there by other Clubs and associations, the impacts would be felt the more.
In his remarks, the monarch commended members of Jericho for their various developmental initiatives towards the growth of Ibadan metropolis.
Oba Balogun who gave the commendation while playing host to the Club in his Alarere residence also asked them not to rest on their oars by networking the youth for employment opportunities.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, he quoted the monarch as saying: “I’m very well impressed by your activities as enunciated by your President and my Chief. You are really giving back to the society which shows how concerned you are about the well-being of the society. If all our Clubs and Associations with similar orientation are doing what you are doing, I’m sure, it won’t take long before we have a better Ibadan.”
Oba Balogun said he was elated by the various achievements recorded by the Club in the outgoing year and noted that if all the Clubs and Associations in Ibadanland are engaging in similar activities, it won’t be long when poverty would be eradicated.
“I praise and salute you on behalf of my members of Advisory Council and the Ibadan sons and daughters, both at home in the diaspora on whose behalf you are committing your resources to the growth and development of our fatherland. I pray that the Almighty Allah would continue to bless and reward your labour of love for our land and your respective shadows would not grow less. I wish you fruitful deliberations at your AGM,” Olubadan added.
