Kunle Adelabu
-Council to engage consultant, PPP to raise fund, developmental projects
-We resolved on the ground that projects would be embarked upon in various wards – Council leader
Two months after the legislative arm of the Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), led by the Council Leader, Hon. Wasiu Agbaje Olomu, had a face-off with the executive arm of the council which led to the purported impeachment of the Council Chairman, Hon. (Princess) Jumoke Jimbo – Ademehin, on Monday, March 9 2020, the estranged legislators are back and are in good terms with their executive counterparts.
Leaders of both arms have not only resolved their differences politically but are also determined to work together for the development of the council which, according to a section of the community, lacks meaningful developmental projects.
The crisis, which erupted few months after the emergence of the present administration in 2018, THE IMPACT gathered, was said to have been finally resolved courtesy of the interventions by political leaders at the state and council levels.
Many efforts in resolving the matter which had characterised the council since the first year of this present administration before now had failed.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), State Chairman, Chief Babatunde Balogun, Lagos East Vice Chairman of the party, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, the party Chairman of the party in Ikorodu West LCDA, Alhaji Olaitan, a party chieftain, Arch. Taiwo Kara, and other leaders in the council were reported to have played very crucial roles in resolving the impasse between the two warring parties.
A State leader of the party and former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, was also said to have played a very prominent role in reining in the officials of the two arms of the council administration.
We also gathered that the Permanent Vice Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs and the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, and the Sekumade of lpakodo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Bashir Aremu Sotonwa, also intervened in no small measures in resolving the crisis in the council.
According to report, the five disgruntled councilors, who allegedly avoided every reconciliation move for over a month, were compelled by the party leadership to accept the supremacy of the party and the need to allow the party structure to resolve the matter politically in the interests of all.
The intervention of the traditional rulers,which THE IMPACT gathered favoured the Council Chairman, who is a Princess of Ipakodo kingdom and also the darling of political leaders in Ikorodu West LCDA, was said to have also put so much pressure on the local legislators to accept settlement, though not without ensuring that their demands were part of the resolution agenda.
It was further gathered that the five councilors, while accepting the supremacy of the party and the intervention by the royal fathers, also made it clear that their demands are not personal but for the development of the council and in the overall interest of their party.
It was also gathered that the leadership of the party and traditional rulers also acknowledged their demands by enjoining the chairman to find ways of implementing developmental projects in various wards of the council.
As a result of these interventions, the council chairman and members of the legislative arm were said to have held several meetings to reconcile their differences and find ways to address the demands of the councilors within the challenges of paucity of fund being faced by the council due to the fall in oil price and the pressure COVID-19 has put on the economy.
Speaking with the IMPACT, both the Council Chairman, Hon. Jumoke Ademehin and the Council Leader, Hon. Wasiu Olomu, agreed to review the budget and the revenue generation of the council.
Hon. Ademehin confirmed the settlement of the face-off between the two arms, adding that both arms of the council have agreed to work together in the interest of council’s development.
“Everything is calm now. That’s why I like politics. We politicians don’t believe in permanent enemy. We usually settle crisis amicably whenever there is crisis. That’s how we usually do our things”, she said.
She alluded to party supremacy as a key factor in resolving the crisis, while also admitting that the demands of the councilors that led to the crisis are being looked into.
“So far, we have our party, we resolve whatever crisis that’s on ground and things continue to move on fine. Our party leaders at the state and council levels have intervened and everything is now settled.
“We are now working harmoniously together”, she stated confidently.
“Yes, some of the agitations that led to the crisis were involved in the resolutions”, she confirmed to THE IMPACT.
The council chairman was full of appreciations to the state’s party chairman and other political leaders as well as traditional leaders who mediated in the crisis and ensured that it was amicably resolved.
“I want to thank our state’s party chairman and the apex leaders in Ikorodu. Also, l thank the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, and Sekumade of Ipakodo, Oba Bashir Sotonwa. They all played prominent roles in resolving the crisis.
“They assisted greatly by giving us their fatherly advice.
Hon. Ademehin explained that the challenge of paucity of fund that made it impossible for her administration to meet the demands of the councillors led to the crisis.
She, however, stated that both arms are looking at ways of restructuring the budget, especially the internal generated revenue, to increase the council revenue base.
“Most of what led to the crisis boil down to the issue of development, which we are also bothered about. But there are some constraints majorly due to paucity of fund”, she lamented.
“When we sit down together again, we will see how we can go about it and ensure that we have developmental projects for the remaining months left in our administration.
“We are looking at raising our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to support our allocations so that we can embark on projects in each of the wards after sitting down together to look at things together.
“Although, there is this issue of paucity of fund but we have been able to identify where we have been having constraints and now, we are meeting regularly, and together, we will look inward in resolving the IGR issues”, the council chairman assured.
Hon. Jumoke also hinted about the council’s plan in engaging the service of a consultant in gearing up the council’s revenue base and partnering with contractors for developmental projects.
“We are definitely looking into our IGR and involvement of a consultant and also Public Private Partnership (PPP), where we can get contractors that can partner with us in achieving some of our projects that we have identified, we not hesitate to do the needful”, she said.
“Our Councilors have been able to identify some projects in their wards that we are planning to execute.
“Another area that we are also looking at is the reordering of our budget and also restructuring most of our IGR, especially the daily tolls. We have been able to locate some that we have not been able to tap into before”, she added.
“These are some of the things that we have been able to put together to achieve something in the remaining part of our tenure”.
Hon. Ademehin stated that the crisis that has plagued the council was never about personal interests of the political actors, but mainly about developmental projects across the council.
She assured residents of the council that projects would be embarked upon by her administration to fulfil what they have been elected to do by the people.
“All that we are after is the development of Ikorodu West LCDA”, she said.
“My message to our people that elected us into offices is that we are here to serve them and they must know that we are all in this together. There is no how we are not going to have crisis but with the help of God, we have been able to resolve our differences.
“They must know that the crisis is not for our personal gains but for the development of our people and the community. We are now ready to continue doing what they elected us to do for them. There is no more crisis. We are now together to achieve development for the council”.
Hon. Wasiu Agbaje Olomu, Council Leader of the Ikorodu West LCDA, also speaking with THE IMPACT, confirmed the settlement of the crisis.
“We have been able to reconcile and that’s definite”, the Council leader confirmed to THE IMPACT.
“I want to appreciate the leadership of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially our state’s party chairman. He did a marvelous job in resolving the crisis. We also appreciate the intervention of the Vice Chairman, APC East Senatorial East, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya and other leaders in Ikorodu West LCDA”, he stated thankfully.
“We are also thankful to the Ayangbure of Ikorodu and Sekumade of Ipakodo for their interventions. They both intervened in the matter and helped to resolve it amicably.
“We have all agreed to all term of settlements and also ready to do all that are necessary in that regard”, Hon. Olomu revealed to our reporter.
He stated that the councilors have fully resolved their differences with the council chairman and are ready to provide the legal framework for developmental projects in the council.
“We are fully back on ground to cooperate with the Executive Chairman so as to forge ahead for the sake of our people in Ikorodu West LCDA”, Hon. Olomu assured.
“We have a lot of legislative instruments in place to provide a legal framework for the executive and we, members of the legislative arm, are ready to pick them one after the other in helping to bring about developmental projects. For example, in the area of revenue and security, we are about embarking on bye-laws.
He revealed that the legislative arms are currently working on seven bye-laws to enhance governance in the council.
“We have about seven proposed bye-laws that we are about to embark upon in Ikorodu West LCDA which would assist the executive and enhance their jobs.
“By the time we reviewed and refined the existing bye-laws, especially the one on the IGR, more money will be coming into the council and there will be money to embark on projects.
“In the area of security, there would be peace in Ikorodu West LCDA. All the hoodlums will run away and security forces will be at rest. There are lots of bye-laws that we are working on that will strengthened the operations of the executive arm.
The lawmaker also informed THE IMPACT that members of the council’s legislative arm did not just resolved their differences with the executive arm but on the condition that their request for developmental projects in each of the wards must be met.
He stated that the council legislators have reserved the impeachment of the chairman at the chamber following the settlement of the crisis.
“After the settlement, we have sat in our chamber and resolved to lift the impeachment of the chairman, which means that the Chairman is no longer impeached. We have reversed the decision”, he confirmed.
“To our people, what happened was not to further our own interests. It was for the betterment of our people so that there will be a lot of developments in our council.
“We have resolved on conditions. It is not that we have been given money to resolved the crisis but there is a condition that there would be developments in each of our wards and that is the basis for reversing the impeachment”, Hon. Olomu said.
“The message there is that very soon, a lot of developments would be happening in our wards”, he assured the people of council.
