JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
Owolabi Oluwatobi, Yakub Azeezat, Salako Kayode and Ogunmefun Taiwo
Onjanganjangan, a quiet settlement of Fulani just nine kilometers from Abokuta, the capital of the state of Ogun, looks like a frozen village over time. Hidden behind the technological incubation center along the Abeokuta – Lagos highway, the settlement houses about 60 residents who survive for cattle farms, production of yogurt and subsistence agriculture.
The recent visit revealed that, beyond its pastoral charm, a story of deprivation.
The platform collected that the village, founded in 2007 by the Nomadi Fulani families, has no school, clinic, no electricity and no legal safety of possession.
Further results showed that its residents are prohibited from building permanent structures – a condition imposed by the authorities when they were authorized to occupy the land almost two decades ago.
“We are not allowed to make any modern permanent structures or even dig well because of the agreement to free when the need is presented in the future,” explained Iya Ibeji, a 47 -year -old yogurt manufacturer and twins’ mother.
He added “we even implored that we could build a small room and greet with wavy iron sheets, but they refused”.
His words capture the paradox of a community of Fulani who lives so close to the capital of the state of Ogun, but closed by modernity.
… Building on land borrowed, which lives in time borrowed
According to some of the residents, onjanganjangan began in 2007 with only five bamboo huts (locally called gaa).
But, as at the time of the visit of the place, there are between 12 and 15 huts, still built with bamboo and straw, scattered through a thick vegetation.
Despite almost two decades of homes, residents live with the constant reminder that their homes are temporary. Without the right to build permanent accommodation, families remain trapped in fragile huts, vulnerable to rain, fire and torrid sun.
“We live in bamboo huts, how can we have electricity? We also want brick houses with wavy roofs like you,” he complained about a mother.
… Daily struggles: yogurt, agriculture, rustle of cattle
Life in the installation of Onjanganjangan Fulani is defined by survival. It has been observed that families entrust themselves to cattle, yogurt (Fura/Wara) and crops such as cassava, corn and vegetables.
It has been learned that Chinese producers occasionally visit the settlement to buy fermented milk locally for the production of condensed milk and powder. But despite this rare link to global trade, poverty remains rooted.
Safety adds to their troubles. The cattle rustler have already hit, robbing the families of their most precious assets.
“Our cows have been stolen once, but we know it wasn’t the Yoruba people. We live peacefully here,” said a father of three children.
… The hidden treasure of Nollywood
Paradoxically, what the government neglects, Nollywood celebrates. The natural scenario, the bamboo huts and the uncontaminated vegetation have transformed Onjanganjangan into a cinematographic hub.
Platform Times reports that Yoruba’s cinema stars including Odunlade Adekola, Segun Ogungbe, Sanyeri and Ibrahim Chatta shot the successes such as Jenrola, the return of President Kuti and the Eyemi to the village.
For residents, movie shoots provide rare excitement. Children and adults gather to watch films shot in their courtyards, creating an unusual cultural bridge between a forgotten community Fulani and the film industry in a strong expansion of Nigeria.
… Education: a distant dream
The time of the platform collected that there is no school in Onjanganjangan. Children walk to Obada or Ile-Iise Awo, several kilometers away, to attend lessons. Many abandon due to distance and poverty.
“Some of our children never complete the elementary school because we cannot afford to continue sending them far,” said a village.
According to UNICEF, 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school, the highest in the world. Onjanganjangan’s children are part of this statistical gloomy, leave back despite living at a short distance from Abekuta.
… Healthcare: a bike, a taxi, herbal mixtures
The residents complain that without health center, the medical emergencies in Onjanganjangan rely on fragile human networks.
“When someone gets sick, we call the bike man or the taxi man we know. Otherwise, we use herbs,” explained a three -year -old father.
“Minor diseases are treated with agbo (herbal water content), while serious cases depend on the goodwill of a motorcyclist or taxi driver who transports patients to the clinic closest to Obada.”
The available data indicated that Nigeria spends only 3.9% of its GDP in healthcare, much below the objective of the Abuja declaration of 15%. Onjanganjangan exemplifies the consequences of this subfinification.
… Water, electricity: shared, borrowed, absent
The water is not theirs too. The inhabitants of the village depend on the wells of nearby communities, which sometimes offer the ration. Electricity is non -existent.
The residents said they travel to Iyana Eleja to load phones or use petrol generators sparingly.
… A community of faith, resilience
The settlement is mainly Muslim. Ramadan and Ileya festivals remain at the center of their identity, while the leadership is informal, with the elderly who mediate the disputes.
The visit also revealed that onjanganjangan is not just a village; It reflects the fate of countless rural communities throughout Nigeria.
Their problems that include the insecurity of the possession of the land leave the families unable to invest in permanent accommodation. The gaps in infrastructures cut them from education, health and electricity.
The Times platform reports that despite the contribution to local markets and the cultural economy of Nigeria through Nollywood, they remain forgotten.
After interacting with the residents, it was discovered that behind the huts there are children who want classrooms, mothers who pray for safer births and families who dream of dignity.
In addition, Nollywood may have put onjanganjangan on the screen. But unless the government puts it on the development map, its people will remain trapped in poverty and abandonment.
The Times platform concludes that in order for Nigeria to truly progress, rural communities like onjanganjangan should no longer be left behind.
This special report was produced by the Proactive Team; 6th set, mass communication department, al-Hikmah University in collaboration with Ebenezer Obey Music Life and Institute Study Center, Abokuta, State Ogun.
‘Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need advertising for a product, service or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We commit ourselves to an investigative journalism of great impact for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell other stories. Please give any amount HERE
