Ondo DLA Candidate Ilawole Faults Lawmakers’ Rice Sharing, Calls for Sustainable Empowerment

A candidate of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) for Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in Ondo State, Taiwo Ilawole, has criticised lawmakers who distribute food items to constituents as an empowerment programme, arguing that the practice offers little lasting relief from poverty.

Ilawole said constituents needed initiatives that would help them earn a sustainable income rather than depend on occasional donations. In a statement issued on Tuesday, he maintained that distributing bags of rice and providing cash assistance could ease immediate hardship but would not address the deeper economic challenges facing residents.

“Cash and food assistance may offer temporary relief, but they are not a substitute for meaningful empowerment. Our people need support that builds skills, creates livelihoods, strengthens small businesses and helps families become self-reliant,” he said.

The DLA candidate also raised concerns about the state of public infrastructure and essential services in Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas. He argued that despite billions of naira reportedly allocated to Zonal Intervention Projects, healthcare facilities and schools in the constituency still required urgent improvements, while major road construction remained inadequate.

If elected, Ilawole said he would push for vocational and technical training, assistance for local entrepreneurs, access to productive equipment and programmes designed to create sustainable jobs. He also pledged to work with President Bola Tinubu’s administration to ensure that the benefits of its economic reforms reached residents of the coastal constituency.

Education and access to federal opportunities would form part of his proposed agenda. Ilawole said he would promote awareness of programmes such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Petroleum Technology Development Fund scholarships and Niger Delta Development Commission postgraduate scholarships to help eligible students access funding and further their education.

He also identified the coastal erosion and sea-incursion crisis affecting Aiyetoro as a major issue requiring urgent government intervention. Ilawole promised to press the Federal Government and relevant agencies to develop a lasting shoreline-protection solution, saying the aim should be to protect homes and livelihoods while helping restore the community’s role in fishing, trade and local commerce.

The candidate further pledged to attract foreign direct investment to Ese-Odo, arguing that the area’s natural and economic resources could create jobs and expand opportunities for businesses and residents. He said investment should translate into stronger livelihoods and broader economic development across the constituency.

Ilawole maintained that working with the Tinubu administration on education, investment, infrastructure and job creation would help deliver more lasting benefits than one-off handouts. His remarks place sustainable empowerment and the development needs of Ilaje and Ese-Odo at the centre of his campaign ahead of the forthcoming general election.