Wale Jagun, Adekunle Okikiola & Folarin Joseph Oluwatunbosun
-Council Chair pledges open door administration
In an attempt to have people’s oriented and sustainable budget for the 2018 fiscal year, the Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) engaged stakeholders and residents of the area in a town hall meeting on Thursday, October 12,2017,at Mikkson Onas Event Centre situated along Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road,Igbogbo.
At the meeting, which was the first of its kind to be held by the current administration of the council led by Hon. Sesan Daini,were political and opinion leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, professionals, market men and women, youths and students’ representatives, clubs and associations among many others.
In compliance with the Lagos State Governor’s directive to all council chairmen during their swearing-in ceremony, Hon.Daini, at the meeting, promised to run an open-door administration.
He stated that the purpose of the meeting was for the council,stakeholders and residents of the community to jointly deliberate and proffer solutions to challenges.
“It is with great pleasure and honour that I address you at this auspicious event geared towards the development of our Local Council Development Area and by extension Lagos State. This maiden edition of the Stakeholders’ Meeting and Budget Interactive Session is crucial at this time to further reiterate the commitment of our administration in addressing the several challenges we face as people and to collectively fashion out a way forward in which each and everyone of us individually and collectively play our roles as citizens, community leaders, and government”, Comrade Daini stated.
“We are a government of the people and we value the input of our people in the administration of the council. We run an open door policy thus the highpoint of today’s event is to get direct inputs from you in developing an inclusive budget for 2018 fiscal year. We want you tell us your priorities and not what we think you need.
He added: “We are all aware that no meaningful development can be achieved in budget execution without adequate funding and in this regards, our administration is working relentlessly to increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in other to balance revenue with the needs of our people. Our revenue generation drive is formulated on the tripod of Efficiency, Transparency and Accountability. In line with this, we are working to establish brand new revenue collection centres across the LCDA.”
The chairman also stated that the revenue generation of the council has been reformed for improved services by introducing electronic system and corporate identity for the revenue officers, adding that the reforms would commenced soon.
“From January 2018, our revenue collection officers will wear their numbered uniforms.So, any revenue officer not dressed in the new uniform should not be attended to and can also be reported to the council via dedicated phone number we will release to the public soon. In the coming weeks, we will be implementing an electronic billing and payment system for the collection of levies, dues and charges. Still on revenue generation, we will be embarking on enumeration of all collectibles within the council with the intent of revenue projection and accountability.”
The chairman also hinged his administration’s policy trust on environment, road, traffic and security among others.
On the environment, Comrade Daini stated, “On the environmental situation within the council, it is important to state this clearly before our enforcement unit starts taking drastic actions henceforth. It is against the environmental laws and masterplan of Lagos State to erect structures on canals and wetland. Furthermore, encroachment into the road will not be tolerated and we are using this medium to call those found wanting to relocate and readjust now.
“We will not tolerate the blocking of roads and parking of vehicles on the roads, especially by Trailers (Dangote Trailers), for whatever reason, as this act further worsen the traffic congestion within the metropolis. Street trading adds to the traffic congestion on our roads and this has led us to give our existing markets face-lift or complete modernization. We are calling on road transport unions to charge their members to be law abiding and obey traffic rules”, he warned.
“Today, we are launching the Road Safety Corps Club in our primary schools to educate and orientate the pupils and by extension their parents on obeying traffic rules and road safety measures”.”
“We are charging owners of unregistered street names to come for regularization and documentation of the street names with the council. We are also calling on registered street name owners to regularly renew their street names annually as and when due.
“As a government, the security of lives and properties of our people is a priority. I want to specially thank the good people of Igbogbo-Bayeku LCDA and our gallant security agencies for their efforts in curbing the crime rate within the council. We thank God for the uprooting of Badoo menace which threatened the peaceful atmosphere of our council but we should not rest on our oars and sleep with our two eyes closed yet. In order to maintain peace and order, a new security formation is being set up within the council and more details will be made available as events unfold.
Keying into the State’s Megacity planning,Hon. Daini stated that Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA Development Plan is getting the attention of his administration and that its implementation will be phased into short, medium and long term.
“We have conceived and designed “Igbogbo-Bayeku Development Plan” in tune with the State Government’s megacity masterplan. The Igbogbo-Bayeku Development Plan is currently undergoing intense scrutiny before it is presented to stakeholders for their inputs and thereafter presented to the public. The Developmental Plan has been phased into short, medium and long terms for ease of implementation and it was conceived to take Igbogbo-Bayeku LCDA to an enviable position amongst local councils in the state and the nation at large.”
After the chairman’s speech, the floor was thrown open for stakeholders and residents to make their observations and requests, all of which are expected to be injected into the 2018 budget planning.
Key requests/demands by stakeholders and residents at the meeting include:
-Call for the resuscitation of abandoned factories in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA
-Call for the convening of Igbogbo/Bayeku Economic Summit
-Call by the artisans for patronages and empowerment from the council.
-Call for improved security of lives and properties.
-Call for stiff measure against Dangote company’s Trailers and other heavy duty vehicles for allegedly damaging roads and causing traffic within the community.
-Call for the establishment of bigger motor garage
-Call on the Council to equally assist other schools with sets of drums.
-Call by the traditional religion practitioners on the Council to always extend hands of support to them during their festivals like they normally do for the Muslims and Christians.
Also at the programme, a set of drums was presented to Methodist Primary School,Igbogbo, by the Council Chairman, while bundles of exercise books were also donated to twelve (12) primary schools in the council.
The Chairman also touched the lives of 12 pupils by presenting them with new school uniforms at the programme and promised to provide more for others.
THE IMPACT, however, gathered that the 12 pupils were found in tattered uniforms during the chairman’s recent tour of public schools in the council.
–
