The 3rd Town Hall meeting, scheduled to take place at Ikorodu for Lagos East Senatorial zone of the state, was expected to showcase something different and spectacular. Being the home constituency of the sitting Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagosians expected important pronouncements and they got a full dose of them.
The quarterly stewardship account, which began few months after Governor Ambode came into office, has rotated from Alimosho/Agege to Lagos Island while the 3rd edition of the meeting was slated for Lagos East Senatorial district.
All roads led to Ikorodu on that Thursday from Epe, from Kosofe/Somolu and from the six council areas of Ikorodu division. As in other editions, the seat of government relocated from Alausa to Ikorodu, with all the three arms – the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary present.
Ikorodu Town Hall was readied for the event. The massive premises was segmented to accommodate everyone. The open fields were marked out as parking lots while a portion was set aside for the outdoor population, housing a big canopy with a huge screen to project the happenings inside. Iron fencing that conforms with today’s security realities and challenges had already been put in place to barricade the V.I.P parking lot, the main entrance and screening point. The wire fenced public car park showed that the choice of Ikorodu Town Hall for this important meeting was right.
Inside the main auditorium of Ikorodu Town Hall, an extraordinary work was done to put the place in its right perspective. The colour code was red. The high table and the entire podium area as well as platforms were decorated with red carpet. The sitting arrangement was uniquely beautiful with most of the chairs wearing red covers. The giant viewing screens were mounted inside the hall to beam the proceedings while the upper floors of the hall and the gallery were also lined up with seats covered with blue and red colourings.
As expected, security was tight. Two bouncers manned the main entrance warding off all kinds of pressures and insults. They kept strictly to the instruction to allow only those with official invitation letters. Policemen stood by to ensure there was no unruly behavior. Unlike Lagos Island, the home of area boys and girls, their counterparts in Ikorodu knew their bounds. They did not constitute much of a nuisance on that day as most of them were kept abay outside the gates of the town hall. Those who gained entry into the premises were restricted to the outside canopy.
In an orderly arrangement, guests started filing into the main hall as early as 8:30am. The seats in the hall were all marked (designated) clearly, distinguishing the ones for the Executive council members, the Legislature, the Judiciary, the body of Permanent Secretaries, Traditional Rulers, Directors in the various ministries, the Press, Community Leaders (CDAs) and (CDS) etc. Between 8am and 10am, the mighty hall kept ‘swallowing’ the influx of dignitaries. A bus-load of editors and reporters from Oriwu Sun did not find it easy entering the main hall because of the tight measures and screening.
His Majesty Oba Kabiru Shotobi of Ikorodu, the host, arrived the venue at 9.28a.m. He was well acknowledged, recognized and celebrated by the audience. He led other Monarchs, Baales and Chiefs at the occasion. The well-lit town hall, air conditioned and well located in the heart of the town, had a hectic time at the early stage of the event with drivers, who parked indiscriminately. The loud speakers, at several times, blast the plate numbers of vehicles blocking the Governor’s entry route along Olubi street. The announcer threatened that LASTMA officials and Police will tow away such vehicles as their owners remained adamant.
Meanwhile, more dignitaries had arrived the venue. They included Princess Adenrele Ogunsanya, the Executive Secretaries of the Local Council Areas in the zone, the Chief of Staff, Mr. S. O. Ojo and the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello. The weather was excellent on that day; the environment was airy and friendly as many residents of Ikorodu came to the area to behold their new Governor and to have a feel of the process of governance. Many came with burning desires in their hearts and were eager to ask questions if given the opportunity. A central issue that has become a common denominator in Ikorodu division is road rehabilitation/construction. Almost everyone in Ikorodu, who heard that Ambode and the entire Alausa were coming to Ikorodu, wanted to hear and know of the new roads to be built.
As protocol demanded, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa and all State Exco members had arrived the venue by 10:30a.m to pave the way for the dignitaries to step into the hall. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode surprised the audience that filled the magnificent Town Hall. Whereas people had expected him to enter through the VIP door of the hall, he chose to come in through the main entrance. There was no loud siren to herald his arrival. He seemed to have followed the step of his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola, in this regard. When the Governor of the richest, most populous and one of the most viable and powerful states of the federation chooses to humble himself, who then is that person to challenge him?
For a number of minutes, Ambode and his entourage faced a gridlock at the narrow screening point of the main entrance to Ikorodu Town Hall. It took them nearly ten minutes to fully enter the hall. For the Governor to subject himself to this process was hailed by those inside as a hallmark of modesty on his part. Known for his swift handling of official business, he is not given to loud overtures, nor long speeches, nor unnecessary protocols. The three town hall meetings this reporter had covered all ended within maximum of three hours.
With explosive Ambode campaign songs, the Governor was cheerfully welcomed to the venue. He was wearing a white Agbada in his potable frame and he maintained his simple but humorous nature. Looking round, he beheld the beauty of the town hall, and through his body language, acknowledged the presence of many of his supporters, notably Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, women leaders, market leaders, praise singers, Traditional Rulers, and Chiefs, who mobilized the grassroot to vote during the last election. He felt very much at home in Ikorodu, which is next door to his home constituency, Epe.
Other public office holders elected along same party platform were also present. They included state and national legislators, past Deputy Governor of the state, Abiodun Ogunleye, and serving/retired civil servants, who worked with the Governor in his over twenty five (25) years of service to the state, among others. Indeed, the setting was good and the powerful loud speakers spewed out robust music, announcements and documentary accounts at intervals. The master of ceremony and the female language translator also added beauty and colour to the transmission of the event, especially when they welcomed Oba Shotobi of Ikorodu and other Obas present.
An opening prayer by Pastor Taiwo Kayode and the national anthem prepared the stage at about 11:15a.m for the commencement of the meeting. However, that was after a welcome address by the CDC Chairman of Ijede, Mr. Owolawi, who described Ambode as a confident and competent leader that is out to consolidate the gains of the state and to transform it to a better place. The master of ceremony added that many Lagosians now call Ambode the ‘Light of Lagos’.
It was now time for the Governor to address Lagosians through the people of the Lagos East Constituency. He dropped four pleasant bombs in the areas of road and water transportation, which are the critical concern of the Lagos East constituency. Anyone who listened to Ambode’s speech at this meeting would have noticed his passion for the state as he made important pronouncements in other sectors of governance. The biggest bombshell was that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed by the Lagos State Government for the construction of the much awaited, much dreamed about and much touted 4th Mainland Bridge to link Ajah/Lekki with Ikorodu. Despite the penalty to be paid (about 800 houses to be demolished for the bridge), the reception of the news was thunderous.
The second bombshell was the Ikorodu/Ijebu Ode road (Itoikin road). Ambode negotiated with the people on terms of constructing the road, seeking their approval or otherwise in making it a Public Private Partnership Project, which will attract toll payments. Lagosians agreed to pay the price. The third bombshell was when the people voted massively for a total ban of Okada, but a compassionate Ambode pleaded to save the daily bread of those riders and their families and opted to only ban them for now along the completed Mile 12 – Ikorodu highway.
The fourth bombshell involved the promises on Ebute Jetty to be fully operational soon. Igbe road, which many
speakers at the meeting canvassed for, is to be addressed by the state government as well as the abandoned Powerline bypass road. Ambode presented other accounts of his stewardship in the past quarter and went into down to earth interaction with members of the constituency, especially the rural dwellers, from whom most of the questions were entertained (see box for Ambode’s address).
Two hours meeting produced the kind of results expected from the home constituency of the sitting Governor, who made solid promises on solid projects. Everyone was happy and eager to ask questions and to make comments but protocol would not allow this. Governor Ambode allowed two of his Commissioners (Works and Energy) to give a helping hand in answering some of the questions or to amplify the Governor’s response. Ambode was at his best elements on this day as he cracked jokes and came down to the level of the grassroots people in his responses, comments and personal interactions after the meeting.
Everyone, including the traditional rulers, the community leaders, the market officials, political party members, singers, etc., all had a good feel of the good Governor on this particular day. The roll call of eminent persons at the meeting (see box 2) confirms the importance attached to this event, the first of its kind in recent past, which fortunately produced the desired results.
