Kunle ADELABU
-Assures Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry of his support
The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Semiudeen Orimade Kasali, Emugoriade I, has enjoined the Lagos State Government to partner with the United Nigeria Textile Limited (UNTL), also called Nichemtex, in order to make the textile giant productive and contribute meaningfully to the economy.
The monarch made the appeal during the courtesy visit by the executive members of the Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to his palace on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.
The newly elected ICCI officials had visited the royal father to get his blessings and seek his assistance in getting other stakeholders into the fold.
Oba Kasali,while addressing his guests, stated that Nichemtex should be of great concern to the Chamber, and mostly to the State Government.
According to Oba Kasali,the government can partner with the company which in the time past had in its employment thousands of residents in Ikorodu division.
“Lagos State Government can partner with Nichemtex in the production of all its fabrics. This would greatly help in bringing the company, that was once contributing greatly to the social and economic development of Ikorodu and Lagos State, back to its feet”, Kabiyesi stated.
“This should be a major concern to the Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry too. The Chamber should be able to find out the difficulties being faced by the company and other ones that were existing before but are now moribund”, he suggested.
While commending ICCI for the visit, Oba Kasali described it as a sensitization and an enlightened visit .
“I commend the Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry for this initiative. This is quite enlightening enough because the operation of the body before now is not known to us but this visit has shed more light.
“This is a good development for the division. I recently attended the Ikorodu Economic Summit which was very fruitful. These are ways to reviving our economy and the Chamber has important roles to play.
“We are fully ready to be part of you and you can be rest assured that you would get our supports in whatever in form. We are also relying on people like Prof. Ade Wahab to help us facilitate projects into the division and connect us to the Presidency.
“It is time for all of us in Igbogbo to put our hands on the deck and ensure that we influence more of our people to join the Chamber”, Kabiyesi stated.
High Chief Tajudeen Duduyemi Onasanya, the Odofin of Igbogbo, while speaking earlier, stated that the visit of the executive members of the Chamber is an eye opener and wake-up call for the community to be part of the great effort to move Ikorodu division forward.
“This is an eye-opening visit and we are ready to give Kabiyesi the much needed support in the area of membership drive for the Chamber from Igbogbo.”
He enjoined the Chamber to assist Igbogbo community in checkmating the excesses of sand dredgers.
“We are appealing to you to assist us in looking into the issue of sand dredgers in our community. They are causing so much damage to our waters and environment and they are operating without compensating the community from where they are taking so much from.
“These people are carting away our resources and posing danger to our communities. These is how the issue of the Niger-Delta unrest began when others were taking so much from their lands, causing environmental degradation and not giving anything back”, he warned.
In his address, Engr. H.O.B. Lawal, President of Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), stated that the purpose of the visit is to pay homage to the monarch and also rub minds with him on how to address the challenges facing the economy of the division and chart a way forward.
“Kabiyesi sir, we know this is an eloquent demonstration of Your Royal Majesty’s recognition of the need to rub minds together with this Chamber which you co-founded, in order to chart a way forward towards addressing germane issues that could empower Ikorodu Division to continue to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the private sector and the economy of the division as well as that of Lagos State and the nation in general”, he stated.
“We, the members of the new Executive Committee of Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are here today to pay you homage in your capacity as the paramount ruler of Igbogbo Community and as one of the founding members of ICCI who has been identifying with the Chamber financially and morally since inception to date.”
Also, the President, while stating the achievements of the Chamber since inception, said that ICCI has been “representing, supporting and protecting the interest of the business community in Ikorodu division”.
He added that the Chamber has also been “liaising with government and private sectors with a view of promoting, attracting and increasing trade and industrialization among other things in Ikorodu Division as well as in Lagos State and the nation”.
After presenting members of the newly elected executive council of the Chamber to the monarch, Engr. Lawal added that:
“Accordingly, our visit here today is to kick-start the ICCI New Exco Unveiling Programme. This is in continuation of our deliberate policy to interact with major companies and traditional rulers within Ikorodu division to attract credible and viable companies within Igbogbo land and Ikorodu division to join the Chamber for the advancement of Ikorodu division as well as Lagos State industrially and commercially”, he stated.
While requesting for Oba Kasali’s royal intervention in making business owners in Igbogbo to be part of the ICCI, Engr. Lawal also sought for royal blessings for the new executives’ inauguration on November 8, 2018.
Prof. Kunle Ade Wahab and Col. Titi Onafowokan, in their separate remarks, enjoined the traditional chiefs and entire Igbogbo community to support Oba Kadali in making more business owners in Igbogbo to be part of the Chamber.
Other members of the ICCI exco that were parts of the entourage to the Adeboruwa’s palace were Chief Tele Oduloye, Alhaja Lamina K.O, Alhaji Mukaila Afolabi, Alhaja Oduloye M.O and Chief Michael Ojo.
