The newly elected Executive Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government and five Local Council Development Areas, on Monday, August 21, 2017, spoke to Oriwu Sun about issues including the repentant cultists, security challenges, other issues they met on ground at their various council.
The Chairmen, among whom were Hon. Sesan Daina of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA; Hon. Adelusi Banjo of Ikorodu North LCDA; Hon. Olajumoke Gania Adetimeyim of Ikorodu West LCDA; Hon. Salisu Fatia of Ijede LCDA; Hon Wasiu Agoro of Imota LCDA, and the Vice Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government Area, Hon. (Princess) Folashade Olabanji-Oba, spoke about Badoo menace and their plans to develop Ikorodu division thus:
CHAIRMAN IGBOGBO/BAYEKU LCDA, HON. SESAN DAIMA
I am trying to encourage people to pay their levies and rates because the performance is far below average; at present, I put at thirty-nine percent. Equally, the traffic grid lock was another major challenges in my local council, which I have started to work on, but while working on it, I don’t want to render people jobless.
Therefore, I am looking at some locations that belong to the government with a view of relocating some traders who sell on the road. We are making consultations on that with the security agencies and Traders’ Associations.
RENOUNCEMENT OF CULT MEMBERSHIP
I am working seriously on youth empowerment and I thank Governor Ambode for providing loans through the Ministry Of Wealth Creation. We are embarking on a project, which is a United Nations programme, called, “One Youth, One Skill”. The best way to empower people is to give them skills. We are working generally with the necessary agencies to ensure that we don’t only train but also give them soft loan, grants to empower them and take them off the street.
PLANS FOR GRASSROOTS SECURITY
We are going to have a program called, “Know Your Neighbour “and aside this, we want to deal with security challenges. We must check and watch one another as well as be our brothers’ keepers. I am imploring everybody to support Governor Ambode to improve the security situation in the state so that Ikorodu division could also be a safe place to live.
CHAIRMAN IKORODU NORTH LCDA, HON. ADEOLA ADEBISI BANJO SECURITY
Security is a major challenge in my council area, which range from Badoo cult menace, kidnappings and what have you. During my second week in office, I hosted a peace and security meeting, which had in attendance the representatives of Area ‘N’ Police Command; 174 Battalion; three D.P.Os covering my LCDA; the market leaders; CDAs; local vigilante group and all other relevant stakeholders.
We were able to reach some conclusions, which cannot be disclosed on print, but we are ahead of the game. The first marching order from the Governor was on the environment because of the transition from the PSP to “cleaner Lagos Initiation”. So, there were lots of garbage, which we cleaned up and everywhere is now neat.
REPENTANT CULTISTS
I commend Oba Shotobi for extracting this repentance from the cultists. In terms of job creation, every one of us has to think of what we can do for our country and not what our country can do for us. We have to think of entrepreneurship; what we can put together to make money.
That is the way of the future and that is the way we should reason. There are lots of business opportunities in Ikorodu; the crowd at the banks is a pointer to that. The money being banked there is not from Lagos; it is being generated within Ikorodu. So, that is an indicator that lots of opportunities are untapped. One just need to sit down, think inwardly and bring something new in a unique way.
PLANS FOR IKORODU NORTH.
There are seven point agenda in the area of road infrastructure, education, health, environment, agriculture, women empowerment, and youth and sports development. We have promised all these and we are going to touch them in a very wonderful way.
CHAIRMAN, IMOTA LCDA, HON (PRINCE) WASIU KUNLE AGORO.
My first priority on assuming office is to build a Local Government Secretariat. At present, the Local Government is squatting in a facility that belongs to the Lagos State Hospital Management Board. The site is meant for Imota General Hospital. What we are trying to do is to get a permanent place before we build. We will achieve that in the next one hundred days.
REPENTANT CULTISTS
Since they have renounced their membership of cultism, we should create an enabling environment for them so that they would be positively engaged.
OTHER PLANS FOR IMOTA LCDA
We have numerous plans but we will focus on empowerment first. We want to empower women and the youth, who complain of joblessness. We are planning on how we can engage them to be more useful to the community and themselves. Very soon, we will start rolling out our programs.
VICE- CHAIRMAN, IKORODU LGA, HON (PRINCESS) FOLASHADE OLABANJI – OBA
We are placing importance on information gathering and evaluation. We are trying to get that and marry them with our programmes. We have started already with Cleaner Lagos programme. We have also held security and stakeholders’ meeting with different groups including Artisans and corporate bodies in Ikorodu. In a month or so, we would be able to achieve something to be happy about.
REPENTANT CULTISTS
The idea is to create an evaluating platform, where everyone can flourish. So, I am happy that the cultists renounced their membership and we should make sure that it is sustained.
CHAIRMAN, IJEDE LCDA, HON. SALISU FATIU.
Well, my predecessors have tried in the area of infrastructure and in other areas. Currently, there is an on-going drainage project along Ijede road after Wema bank. It is one hundred metres and we will complete it by the special grace of God. Apart from that, the “Clean Up Lagos Initiative” idea of Governor Ambode has kept us on our toes.
Within four weeks in office, we have held stakeholders’ meeting just for us to know what the people really wanted. We won’t be the ones that would determine their need; we want them to tell us what they want so that we can serve them better. After the meeting, we have taken up their needs and started working them.
PLANS FOR IJEDE LCDA
There are five point agenda, which include welfare, health, security and others. In the second week of my assumption of office, security meeting was held with the heads of security agencies in Ikorodu. Those who attended the meeting included the D.S.S, Military, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, DPOs and Police Area Commands. We talked; we strategised and we have commenced the process of executing all our strategies. We thank God that since we came into office, the perception of Ijede as an area with a lot of crisis has changed and the issue of cultism and criminal activities have abated.
REPENTANT CULTISTS
They have repented and the reason for resorting to cultism was because some of them weren’t gainfully employed, which is a global problem. We have started making plans to see if some corporate bodies could assist in getting them employment.