Kunle Adelabu
Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, the Aremo of Igbogbo Kingdom and former Head of Service, Lagos State, has expressed has said that the Public Service has not been doing enough in fostering community development, especially in providing for the needs of the people.
The former number one civil servant in the State, made the statement while speaking on the theme, “Public service as a key to community development”, at the maiden edition of the Public Service Day, organised by the Conference of Igbogbo Indigenes in Civil and Public Service (COIICPS) as part of the activities marking the 2019 Igbogbo Day celebration.
The event was held at the Shokkis Hotel, Igbogbo, on Friday, November 22, 2019.
Prince Ogunlewe said that “public service plays a very big role in the lives of individuals, families, community, state and others”.
He also called the attention of the Chairman of the Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and his team to the sorry state of the Igbogbo cemetery.
“I passed through the cemetery (in Igbogbo) and the whole place was in darkness. I doubt if anybody, in his or her right senses, will take his or her parents’ corpses to that place and bury them”.
He added that, “If public service fails, the community also fails”.
When our reporter visited the cemetery situated along Igbogbo-Ipakodo road, the whole place was covered with weeds while big trees have taken over many of the graves.
It was also discovered that many of the graves had caved in for a very long time but are being left uncattered for.
Some of the people residing around the vicinity of the cemetery, while speaking with THE IMPACT, stated that the state of the cemetery poses threat to the security of the environment as criminal elements could use the cemetery as hideout.
They also expressed concern at the way those buried at the cemetery are being cared for and urged the management of the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA to ensure that the cemetery is rehabilitated.
Meanwhile, in a phone chat with Comrade Sesan Daini, Chairman, igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, he stated that the Council has plans to rehabilitate the cemetery but that the abandonment of the rehabilitation of the Ipakodo-Igbogbo-Bola Ahmed Tinubu road disrupted the plans.
He explained that the council cannot embark on the rehabilitation of the cemetery except the road construction commences and completed.
“Planned rehabilitation of the cemetery is affected by the abandonment of the construction works on Ipakodo- Igbogbo- Bola Tinubu – Igbe road. We cannot do any serious rehabilitation until the construction company work on the failed portion of the road around the cemetery vicinity to avoid waste of public fund”, the council chairman stated during the phone chat.
