ILAJE LAND: Turn Our Communities into a New Dubai, Kelly Tells Oil Companies
By Olusegun HOSEA, Akure
27th May, 2026.
One of the members of the Board of Trustees of the Indigenous People of Ilaje Development Union (IPOIDU), Dr. Kelly Akinjole, has challenged the oil companies operating offshore in Ilaje Land to transform all communities in Ilaje Kingdom into a new Dubai with modern developmental facilities that would bring comfort and progress to the people of the kingdom.
Dr. Kelly made this call while speaking with EXPONENT MAGAZINE NEWS via a social media conversation. He urged the Obas across Ilaje Kingdom to collaborate with the oil companies operating in their communities in order to fast-track the necessary development needed across the region.
Dr. Kelly condemned the activities of most of the oil companies, accusing them of exploiting the resources of the land without providing developmental infrastructure for the benefit of the people. He challenged both the traditional rulers, who represent the voices of their various subjects, and the companies operating in the land to rise up and solve the problems of the people by creating a modern El Dorado for the Ilaje people.
While speaking, Dr. Kelly said:
“WHAT A SHAME IN THE OIL-PRODUCING KINGDOM OF ILAJE LAND. WHERE ARE THE RULING OBAS? WHERE ARE THE OIL COMPANIES EXPLOITING FROM OUR KINGDOM WITHOUT PROVIDING MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE? THE GOVERNOR SHOULD BE READY FOR A NEW DUBAI IN ILAJE KINGDOM BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE MANDATE BY GOD TO DRIVE POVERTY AWAY FROM ONDO STATE, STARTING FROM THE RIVERINE AREA THAT INCLUDES ILAJE KINGDOM AND APOI KINGDOM. WHEN? TODAY, MAY 25TH, 2026. TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THAT IS THE QUESTION.”
In another development, Dr. Kelly Akinjole explained that several major oil companies have operated or are still active in the offshore and coastal areas of Ilaje. He estimated the number of companies that have operated in the area over the years to be between 10 and 12. The prominent ones include:
Shell
Chevron Nigeria Limited
Texaco Nigeria Limited
Mobil Producing Nigeria
Consolidated Oil
Express Petroleum and Gas Company
Atlas Oil Company
Allied Energy
Cavendish Oil
Sahara Energy
NNPC Limited
TotalEnergies (through offshore interests in Nigeria).
Speaking further, Dr. Kelly stated that historical records on Ilaje oil exploration specifically mentioned Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Consolidated Oil, Express Petroleum, Atlas Oil, Allied Energy, Cavendish Oil, and Esso-Mobil as companies that operated in the area. According to recent Wikipedia reports, Sahara Energy also received licences to manage oil fields PPL 270 and PPL 271 in Ilaje riverine communities. Chevron Nigeria Limited also remains one of the major offshore operators linked with Ilaje coastal oil facilities and offshore platforms.
He recalled that Ilaje is one of the major oil-producing coastal areas in Ondo State, with both onshore and offshore oil fields spread across communities such as Ugbo, Awoye, Atijere, Ori-Oke Iwamimo, and the Atlantic coastal axis, as reported by Wikipedia.
Similarly, he expressed optimism about the divine assurance given to them by God to reclaim Ilaje Land from destructive external influences.
“God has given us the mandate, starting from today, May 25th, 2026, to build a new Dubai in the riverine area that includes Ilaje Kingdom and Apoi Kingdom,” he said.
He, however, charged all stakeholders in Ilaje Land to treat the development of the region as a matter of priority for the sake of posterity. He also called on those allegedly mortgaging the future of the present and unborn generations to desist from such acts, warning that sabotage would bring nothing but disgrace and shame to their family names built over the years by their progenitors.
He further called on individuals allegedly in the habit of collecting bribes from contractors before developmental projects could commence in Ilaje Land to desist from such acts, saying the practice is capable of causing setbacks to projects meant for the progress and development of the environment.
