Establishment of the Ijesa Development Fund (IDF)

Conceived Ijesaland Development Fund (IDF) Which Was Launched on Tuesday 21st October, 2025

In the evolving narrative of African community development, where most initiatives are often hinged on government dependency, a rare gem has emerged from Ijesaland, a visionary who, through passion, innovation, and sheer determination, has redefined what true people-centered development means. As Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi celebrates his 70th birthday, one of his most groundbreaking and transformative contributions to Ijesaland is the creation and successful launch of the Ijesa Development Fund (IDF) that stands tall as a beacon of communal renewal and collective progress.

In a land blessed with intellect, industry, and rich cultural heritage, Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi saw a glaring gap: the lack of a cohesive, sustainable, and locally driven funding platform to finance urgent community needs beyond the often limited and delayed interventions from government. With deep insight and strategic foresight, he birthed what is today acclaimed as one of the most innovative and inclusive developmental frameworks in South-West Nigeria, the IDF.

The most common and popular approach usually employed in generating development fund in most of our societies is to identify the very few, wealthy individuals in the community and tax them with the responsibility of mobilising and championing the resources for the execution of any identified project. This approach, as laudable as it is, also comes with its own limitation. First, it could lead to donation fatigue where the few gets tired of being continuously called upon to contribute. Second, it limits the potential capacity of what is doable from the community because some members of the community with financial capacity may be erroneously omitted and left out. Third, the emergent project may be wrongly perceived as not being commonly owned which may eventually jeopardize the optimisation of the project benefits by all members of the community. These limitations informed the choice of this approach where ALL are responsible and committed within their respective ability to the development of their communities.

The Ijesa Development Fund (IDF) is not just another financial instrument; it is a strategic model of collective responsibility and indigenous empowerment. It was conceived by Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi as a community-owned, stakeholder-driven fund to mobilize financial resources from all sons and daughters of Ijesaland, both at home and in the diaspora.Launched with overwhelming acceptance, the IDF quickly became a rallying point for Ijesa people across socioeconomic and generational lines. For the first time in recent history, Ijesas saw themselves not just as recipients of development, but as architects of their own advancement. The Fund was designed to supplement the interventions of the three tiers of government, Local, State, and Federal which often fall short in meeting the unique and diverse needs of the six Local Government Areas that make up Ijesaland: Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Obokun, Oriade, Atakumosa East, and Atakumosa West.

At the heart of the IDF is a powerful message: “The sustainable development of Ijesaland is the responsibility of all Ijesas.” A call to every Ijesa at home and in the diaspora to rise, contribute, and co-create a prosperous homeland.