ONDO COMMISSIONER, ADEMOLA-OLATEJU JUSTIFIES CREATION OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND DIASPORA RELATIONS MINISTRY

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Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations created by the Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration has succeeded in fostering unity between the Southwest states and Ondo State indigenes in the diaspora.

Ondo State Commissioner for Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju made this known while playing host to Students of International Relations in the Department of Political Science in Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji, Osun State in her office.

The ministry was first created in 2017 by the Governor as Ministry of Regional Integration and Special Duties and later became Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations in 2019.

The change in numenclecture according to Ademola-Olateju was due to the fact that Western Nigeria is the only region with homogeneous language, culture and blessed with additional littoral states like Lagos , Ogun and Ondo.

“As such, cooperation is the essence of development and for this reason, the Yorubas has decided that the region must develop base on the roles of the state and its constituent parts and for this reason , Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations was created by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN.” She said.

She said the Regional Integration part of the Ministry is based on the understanding that the Yorubas must unite for development, innovation and growth, added that Diaspora Relations was based on the believe that there must be the need to understand that the world continue to be in a state of flux.

She said “human beings dispersed from ancient times starting from the period of the fall of Babylon when the Jews were dispersed all over the world, noting that Nigeria for example, people continue to migrate either for economic reasons to seek better lives abroad.

” Going by what is happening around us, there can be no development and growth without adequate security and for this reason, Yorubas must feel secured in their own environment, hence the need for proper integration by the Yoruba States”. She said

“As such, it is the belief that our Diasporans can come back home to improve the knowledge base, invest in the economy of the state or bring foreign investors to the State. It is in recognition of this that the Diaspora Relations was added to the ministry”, she stressed.

” We must begin to have the synergy between those in the native land and those in the Diaspora so as to continue to harness what they have to offer in terms of resources”. She further stated.

To achieve its set mandates, the commissioner said the ministry mapped out a plan on how best to harness the Diasporans for growth and developments of Ondo State.

She said the mandates of the ministry is to continue to attract the best and brightest to continue to have interest in coming back to contribute to the development of the state.

Mrs Ademola-Olateju therefore admonished the students to be the best they can and be good ambassadors of their respective states.

Earlier, the leader of the team who is the Head of the Department, Dr. Ayo Awopeju informed that the field trip by the students to the ministry is one of the requirements for the students to graduate from the University.