Kunle ADELABU & Wale JAGUN
The Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the representative of the Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. S.O.B Agunbiade, and other speakers at the inaugural Ikorodu North All Progressives Congress (APC) Youths Summit have urged youths in Ikorodu division to shun violence and resist attempt to use them as thugs in the coming primary elections of the party and the general elections in 2019.
They commended the organizers of the summit which was held at the Odogunyan Town hall in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA) on Tuesday, September 18, 2018.
Among the speakers at the event, which was initiated by the Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu North LGA, Hon. Wale Amuda,were the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the representative of Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, former Ikorodu North LCDA Chairman, Prince (Hon) Kunle Ogunbela, former Ikorodu North Councilor and Chairmanship aspirant, Hon. Mathew Adesanya and former Leader, Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Azeez Jimoh Olosugbo.
Hon. Agunbiade, while speaking at the event, commended the initiative of the youths in organising such event and described it as laudable but advised that such programme should not only be organized when election is coming.
“Ikorodu North youths are the first to invite me to a gathering to speak about the youths and their roles in building the society since my re-election in 2015 and I commend you for this initiative, but you don’t have to organize important event like this only when election is coming.
He appealed to the youths not to allow themselves to be used by politicians in the coming primary and general elections.
“It’s high time the youths come to the realization that they have everything to be useful to themselves and the society and should not allow themselves to be used as political thugs.
“If SOB or any other aspirant cannot use their own children for thuggery, why should you allow yourself to be used?” he queried.
“If it is true that politics is about service and we are all aspiring to serve the people and the community, why the hate speeches and drumming of war songs?
The lawmaker also challenged the youths to start showing leadership traits in their activities.
“If you want to lead tomorrow, it must start today with what you are doing. You must start exhibiting your ability to become tomorrow’s leaders today”, he challenged the youths.
“The coming primary and general elections must be about issues and future of Ikorodu division and not individuals.
“I have been involved in community work before being elected into the Lagos State House of Assembly and we have been using the mandate given to us since elected for the development of Ikorodu.
“In Ikorodu, we have used the mandate to facilitate new structures in Odogunyan Primary and Secondary schools and in other schools too. The structure that was just commissioned at the Ikorodu High School few days back was due to my effort as a representative.
“My attention was called to the state of the school by the parents’ forum and I scheduled a meeting and it was at that meeting that I promised to intervene and I immediately got in touch with the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, who is incharge of Education, to intimate her that the school was my former school where I taught.
“We also wrote a letter to the state government to that effect and today, I am happy that a new structure has been commissioned.
“We have also used the mandate to secured over 50 state government’s employments for our people in the last three years. Names of the beneficiaries were published in our scorecard where you can also find other achievements that we have been able to do with your mandate.
“As a lawmaker, I spearheaded the motion that brought about the review of all laws in Lagos State House of Assembly and their compilations. And as the Majority Leader of the Assembly, I am involved in all the activities and dealings of the House, including bills and motions that are presented on the floor.
“I also intervened when the state government wanted to demolish houses in Lambo-Lasunwon, Odo-Nla and Aribila-Oko Jerry communities, all in Ikorodu North, but today, due to my intervention and with the supports of my colleagues in the State Assembly, not a single house was demolished in all these communities.
“Their grouse is not that we do not perform or live up to the expectations, rather, they are only saying he should not be only him forgetting that no Ikorodu person is holding any key position at the state level. By the glory of God and by the virtue of your mandate, I am now the number three man in the Assembly of 40 members. Why do we want to lose that when it is even possible that we can improve come 2019?
Hon. Mathew Adesanya,in his own address, enjoined the youths to be good ambassadors of themselves, families and the community.
He also appealed to them not to be tools of destruction and death in the hands of the desperate politicians.
“You are only useful to desperate politicians when you are doing their bidding, especially when you are a tool of their nefarious activities. The moment you query them and refuse to do their bidding, you become useless.
“If any politician is using you, just ask him or her to give you his/her daughter in marriage. That is the day you will ever hear from him.
“You can even ask him to support your aspiration as a councilor in your area. That is the end of your relationship with him because his fear would be what you are going to do with political power and your thuggery nature when you disagree with him.
Hon. Kunle Ogunbela, while also speaking, commended the youths for organising the summit and urged them not to join anyone in fomenting trouble.
Also, the former Council Leader of Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Azeez Jimoh Olosugbo, challenged the youths to prepare themselves for leadership positions by getting actively engaged in politics.
He enjoined them to develop business and entrepreneurship spirit so as to have economic power which would not make them rely on crumbs from politicians.
Other guests at the summit were APC Youth leaders across Ikorodu division, Hon. Olu Omoniyi, Ward Chairman in Ikorodu, Hon. Aro, the Councilor representing Odogunyan, Hon., the former Council Leader, Ikorodu North LCDA and Alhaji Olalekan Murisiku, former Majority Leader, Lagos State Youths Assembly and former Chairmanship aspirant in Ikorodu North LCDA among others.
