An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Prince Abimbola Onabanjo, and his wife, Mrs Abayomi Onabanjo, on Saturday donated five new transformers to five communities across Ijebu land in Ogun State to restore electricity supply after months and years of darkness.
The beneficiary communities include Ijari, which had been without electricity for about two years; Ogbogbo in Ijebu North-East Local Government Area; Adefisan Latoogun; Imepe; and Iwesi-Imowo.
Speaking on behalf of the donors at the presentation of the transformers in Ogbogbo Ijebu on Saturday, Mr. Lekan Toki said the couple decided to intervene after hearing about the plight of the affected communities, adding that they believed everyone deserved a decent and better life.
“When Onabanjo and his wife heard about the plight of the people living without light for months, they said that something must be done, and here we are today handling the five transformers for the benefiting communities.
“The couple are basically interested in uplifting the people, and they have been coming up with diverse interventions to make life more comfortable for all. You will remember that they have just commissioned 52 borehole projects across Ijebu land. The communities were equally given generators to power these boreholes, with an additional one-year support.”
“I will only beg the people to take ownership of these transformers and other projects and protect them from being vandalised; it is the duty of everyone of them to ensure that the essence of embarking on these projects is not defeated. The people should also keep praying for the donor and his wife so that they can really do more,” he said.
The Chairman of Ijebu North-East Local Government, Hon. Foluso Badejo, commended the couple for their intervention, saying they had helped to ease the burden on the government.
“As I speak to you, I have over 20 communities on my list asking for transformers,” Badejo said. “The truth is that a lot is competing for government resources, but with interventions such as this from public-spirited individuals like Prince Abimbola Onabanjo and his wife, Mrs Abayomi Onabanjo, the society can always get better and our people happier.”
The Project Coordinator, Funmi Ayanwusi, said the donation was part of the couple’s lifelong commitment to making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
“Just like the recently inaugurated 52 borehole projects across Ijebu land and the distribution of empowerment tools such as sewing machines and dryers, among others, the presentation of the transformers is to address the challenge of living in darkness.
“We all know the importance of reliable electricity supply to achieving economic prosperity and living a decent life, so it is that spirit to give back to society that is the motivating force, and all that the beneficiaries should do is to protect these transformers and keep praying for the donor and his wife for God to also continue to bless them and answer all their prayers too,” she said.
The Secretary of the Ogbogbo Community, Mr. Tunde Oresanya, said residents of Imegun, Idagunren, Oke Ile, Unity Estate, Idode, and Ilogbo had endured about eight months without electricity, a situation he said had caused considerable hardship.
“This lack of power supply has affected the socio-economic life of our people. The artisans and small business owners have been in pain. We are grateful for this kind gesture because it has brought back life into all these communities, and we really can’t be happier,” he said.
The Baale of Ijari, Chief Sunday Ajetunkesi, also praised the couple for rescuing his community from about two years of darkness, saying the intervention had brought excitement and joy to residents.
“You can see that every one of us is happy; it is not a good thing to be in darkness. We thank Omooba Abimbola Onabanjo and his wife for coming over to help us, and we pray that the Lord God Almighty will replenish their purse and grant them the desires of their heart,” he said.