In this exclusive interview, Hon. Rotimi Makinde—former Member of the House of Representatives representing Ife Federal Constituency—speaks with urgency and conviction about the political and structural neglect of Ile Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race. Drawing on ancestral ties and personal history, he critiques the state government’s “fire-brigade approach,” calls for federal alignment over isolation, and urges his people to think generationally rather than reactively.
Q: You have spoken with notable passion about Ile Ife recently. What is driving this urgency?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde:
Well, I was born because of Ile Ife and its environs which includes Modakeke, the Origbos and the other towns and villages that made up Ile Ife as kingdom. This is not politics for me. This is home. When your root is in the soil, you cannot watch strangers dig it up. My concern is personal, it is ancestral, it is generational.
Q: What, in your assessment, does Ile Ife contribute to Osun State and Nigeria as a whole?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde:
We occupy the largest land. We host the largest number of educational institutions. We sit on large resources of mineral resources. Our border town is Ijebu Igbo. Our history and our stool is indisputable, the richest. “The elephant does not announce its size, its footprint does.” Yet our structural re-engineering is being treated as secondary at a time of windfall in the state. No, it is not acceptable. We must not trust them.
Q: Some argue that Ile Ife faces a leadership challenge. How do you respond?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: That is not truth. What I think we lack is a new channel and recognition and a mission to do the needful for our people to be adequately rewarded. We do not lack leadership structure, we simply need to be focused and for any of us to change the narrative to radicalized changes. We have leaders and no dispute or controversy about that. Our people can recognize dividends and we as politicians must not betray them no matter the consequences. “A house with a strong pillar does not fall because of wind.”
Q: The state government maintains that progress is being made, citing recent bridge and road projects. What is your take?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: Yes, the state is doing their best by giving us bridge. I have seen them concentrating on roads that would place them on record and that would attract some exaggeration and refund from federal government being led by our party. I would not condemn them for this. But our major need is not within their limit and I believe they know these truths. “A bowl of water cannot quench the fire of a forest.” Bridges and roads are good, but Ife needs federal projects, federal institutions, federal presence. That is beyond the state’s purse.
Q: Some observers have characterized your remarks as sarcastic or politically motivated. What is your response?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: I am not being sarcastic about this, I am a crusader for peace and transformation. We must not allow any sweet talk or dance to mislead us to commit something terrible. Accord cannot bail us as a state. This state under Accord cannot operate solely under this federation as isolated, no. Ile Ife must key into federal atmosphere. “The bird that leaves the sky to swim with fish will drown.” Our survival is tied to federal alignment, not isolation.
Q: What practical steps would you recommend to restore Ife’s political relevance?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: When I was in National Assembly, I worked as opposition, same as my successor. This trend must stop. We must be ready to vote in our next legislator to be a member of next ruling party. In that case we could fight for right place. To start that liberation is to ensure we vote massively for Mr President’s party to control the state. “If you want to eat from the king’s table, you must sit in the king’s house.” Opposition cannot deliver Ife’s inheritance. Only alignment can.
Q: How would you assess the overall approach of the current state government toward Ile Ife?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: I frown at it completely. It is a fire brigade approach. No plan, no prioritization, only emergency visits when election is close. A kingdom that built the Yoruba race deserves more than emergency attention. “You do not remember the well only when your throat is dry.” For four years, Ife and its environs were on the back burner. Now they want applause for last-minute gestures. Ile Ife is wiser than that.
Q: What is your final counsel to the people of Ile Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race?
Hon. Rotimi Makinde: Let us think beyond the next 4 years and think positive about what becomes of our society and its environs. “The elder who plants iroko does not sit under it, but generations after him will.” Ile Ife, Modakeke, Origbo and all our villages must act like a father, not a child. A father thinks of inheritance. A child thinks of snacks. With the largest land, the richest stool, and the greatest resources, Ife’s status demands inheritance, not handouts.
The fire brigade approach of the present state government has failed Ife. The temptation of Accord will fail Ife. Only strategic alignment with federal power can lift Ife to where it belongs. Consciousness. Strategy. Patience. That is the Ife way.
Hon. Rotimi Makinde served as Member, House of Representatives, representing Ife Federal Constituency.
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