Wale Jagun
A Princess of Ikorodu, now based in the United States of America (USA), Princess Aderoju Ladega, popularly called ‘Kiniun Ikorodu’ (Lioness of Ikorodu), has examined the four years tenure of the six Council Chairmen in Ikorodu Division of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, with damning verdict on all of them.
She did a separate review of the administrations in the six Local Government (LG) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) – Ikorodu Local Government, Ikorodu West, Ikorodu North, Igbogbo/Bayeku, Ijede and Imota Local Council Development Areas under Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, Hon. Adeola Banjo, Hon. Jumoke Ademehin, Builder Sesan Daini, Hon. Fathiu Salisu and Hon. Wasiu Agoro respectively, and passed her verdict.
Concluding her analysis on the current Council Chairmen and those aspiring to take over from them, Princess Ladega said that she wishes that the best men emerge from the forthcoming Local government elections.
She advised whosoever wins in each of the Councils to learn how to impact on the people and also make good use of the media in propagating their activities in office.
While in the country, Princess Ladega was an active gender and community activist and a very sharp critic of elected representatives.
She founded a community – based Non – Governmental Organisation, ‘Never Say Never’, through which she embarked on many advocacy programmes and projects.
Princess Aderoju, who is an author, is also the founder of the Senior Well Being Foundation, an NGO registered recently to cater for old people in the country.
Her analyses on the performances of the six Council Chairmen in Ikorodu Division are reproduced below:
Ikorodu LGA:
More like it! I love the fact that we have many eyes on the ball. I was informed that there are four (4) aspirants vying for the Chairmanship post, so interesting as they are all most likely capable of performing.
Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, I am aware of your remarkable achievement in the area of road infrastructure, kudos sir. I also learnt that you interlocked the entire Sabo market. Well, eku ise sir… But, truth be told, you performed below expectation.
As I write this piece, my mind is clouded with memories of how you shied away from taking a bold step when Allison market needed the council’s intervention despite the hues and cries then. Would it not be safe to conclude that you did so then simply because of the returns that comes to you from the revenue derived from the market or how does one justify the lack of empathy on the part of a council Chairman who turned blind eye to the quagmire which the market put the people into?
You appear to many as someone who is so engrossed with his growth alone. More like a case of bamu bamu ni mo yo, emi o mọ bí ebi n pá ọmọ ẹnìkankàn; (loosely translated as I’m filled to the brim, I care less if anyone is hungry). No sir, life is not like that. I advise you to start considering the axiom that hammered on posterity. Many examples abound sir, and I expected you to ardently take a cue from them and change for good if you’re lucky to get the return ticket.
Another thing I need to applaud you for is the picking of your phone calls, unlike your colleagues; though, you may end up not solving the caller's problem, but you pick up your phone calls 8 out of 10 times. For crying out loud sir, you are the Chairman of an entire LGA and answerable to the people! Keep your office open to everyone! Have an official line where people can call to book an appointment; someone must be available to answer their calls, get details of the reasons why they need to see you and communicate such to you without any delay. If you find the reason cogent enough, give them an appointment and see them, and if the reasons do not have any potential value to offer to the people, let them have feedback of your unavailability to see them. Meaning of this, COMMUNICATION IS KEY! It makes people see less of you as playing god!
For other contenders, I hope you have true and good intentions for your people. It is quite easy to write manifesto and mouth promises, but getting the job done itself is the real deal. I can only wish you the best as our party’s primary approaches and pray that the best person that would make a lot of difference will emerge as a candidate for the main election.
Ikorodu North LCDA:
I love it when the strength of democracy is exercised to the fullest… This is another LCDA with four aspirants! Phew! How much I love this because it would go a long way in getting some people to recognize that the seat is not one to be trivialized.
Banjo, my good uncle! Because you’re my blood, I will tell you the truth. Egbon! Wake up, sir!!! The dynamism of times has changed politics from the way it used to be back in the days. It is now 20% the party leaders, 20% the party members and 60% the governed. You may want to study hard sir, the style of your governor to understand this better. Though, I expect you to know better given the number of years you spent outside the shores of Naija.
Egbon, I’m not saying you should not be responsible to people around you but common sir, you don’t dedicate your time in the office to giving people fish. How about you teach them how to fish? How about you creating a pool where they all can fish from? How about many other possibilities you could have provided and achieved with many sound minds that surround you? Well, a word is enough for the wise in this regard, I do hope you understand deeply my message here and would sincerely work on it.
Another thing I strongly believe you have to stop is the archaic method of politicking, where you are fond of satisfying the party leaders to the detriment of the people you’re leading. I’ m not against you respecting the leaders, paying obeisance to the leaders or even taking care of the leaders but hey!!, you need to have it balanced! Have a system in place to ensure that as the leaders are singing your praises, the led would also be doing the same. Jettison the idea of satisfying only those that matter EVERYONE MATTERS!!!
On the aspect of projects, I learnt you have a splinter of projects to point at. Well, kudos sir. But to be honest, I’m not impressed. I’m not impressed because I know your capability. I’m not impressed because I aware of your passion and brilliant ideas that would have brought massive projects to the people. What then happened? Guess I’ve outlined a few of them up there and I hope you would get serious and make use of your brilliance and the sound minds you have around you to do better if you get the ticket for the second term.
For the other contenders, I sincerely hope you are reading this and would find a thing or two that is useful in my advice to the incumbent chairman. I hope and pray that if anyone of you is divinely ordained to lead Ikorodu North LCDA, you would do so with a difference that would bring more development to the town and make the people feel appreciated, the polls shall favour you.
Ikorodu West LCDA:
It’s rather unfortunate that I couldn’t lay my hands on the names of all aspirants from this LCDA at the time of writing this piece. I would have loved to do in this piece, a holistic assessment of each of them vis-a-vis their pedigree, antecedents et al.
Some of you my readers (not conversant with our environment) might be wondering why I would want to do that with aspirants of this particular LCDA while I never did with other councils, but those that are conversant with Ikorodu division would be discerning enough to understand. So, let’s leave it for the initiates.
Regardless of my inability to assess all contenders, I have a very significant recommendation to all of them since no one can predict who will emerge yet. And my recommendation goes thus: ensure that while in office, you equip yourself. Equip yourself in all spheres, especially education-wise in its real sense.
Political office is not for building wealth alone, but also and more importantly, about the aftermath of you and the people you led.
Enough said! Wish you all the best at the primary election. May the best 'man' emerge as the winner.
Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA:
To be candid, Sesan Diani serves as a litmus test for the argument that having youthful persons taking charge of our affairs in the Ikorodu division would bring about more development and what have you, compared to the older generation.
Now, having tested the ability of average youth in a leadership position through Sesan Daini’s record, is it safe to say we should yield the floor completely for the SENSIBLE youths to take charge?
As for me, may be or maybe not. Let’s reason together…
First of all, I must commend the Executive Chairman of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA for his thoughtfulness of the beautiful edifice gifted to the people of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA as Secretariat. He has succeeded in etching his name in Gold on the council’s foundation.
However, I heard that he is running for re-election into the office unopposed, wow!
But Comrade Sesan Daini, as a front-runner of articulate gba gba, of the greatest gbo gbo, gbo gbo, how do you feel when you are running a race where other eminently qualified contenders are not in the open but are only whispering their desire to challenge you at the poll? Does it give you the satisfaction that you are the only voice being heard? What stops you from encouraging other youthful contenders like you who have indicated interest to slug it out with you at the polls? After all, you and many people around believe you have done so well for the LCDA.
Yes, you have tried but you need to do more. I am not a sucker for tokenism and I strongly believe we do have thousands of our good people of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA who do not get sway by cosmetic achievements. Hence, we cannot afford to lower the bar of our expectations or ratings when it comes to dividends of good governance in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA.
Comrade, let the youthful zeal you spur warm you up to come up with the creative ideas that would impact HEAVILY on the youth population of Igbogbo. When you productively engage the youths, there would be total eradication of crime or drastic reduction to its barest minimum. An idle hand they say is the devil’s workplace.
And kindly put a stop to the habit of waiting till you’re called out before you do what is right for the people of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA. Many young people believe in your ability, step up your game. Engage the youths more, work on private partnerships that would help in empowering the youths and our women. You cannot do it all, but you can do a whole lot.
Lastly, be open to criticism and good recommendations from all quarters.
I wish you the very best as you warm-up for the election.
Ijede LCDA:
Quite interesting that the current Chairman is bidding for re-election into the present office he occupies. Interesting.
And I learnt he also has about 3 persons to contend with at the party’s primary election before the main election. That to me is quite a fantastic development. You know, such development serves as a pointer to one thing: the people aren’t docile anymore.
Though, I’m not familiar with other contenders, I must say I commend their decision to brace the odds and contribute to the growth of their community.
And as for Mr. Chairman, may I ask what you have to show to the people that warrants your seeking a return in the office?
I asked the question because (although like many of your contemporaries occupying the seat in Ikorodu division, you also appear to have apathy for media, hence no frequent reportage of your activities out there), but still, I expect that given the present situation of things, you would have rolled out the drums to continually beat the drum of your achievements in office, exploring every possible media platform in the process. But hey!, it seems we have a case of someone having no remarkably massive projects to highlight and drum about!
Sir, you need to be sincere with yourself, because everyone cannot be gullible to believe in Wallaitalai (apologies to my brothers and sisters of Muslim faith). Work more on yourself by not being overwhelmed by sycophants surrounding you.
Should you be lucky to get the ticket to return to that office, you need to get your very agile self busier with creative development for the beautiful LCDA that is now a ghost of its once bubbly self. Slow down on your jumping on every political jamboree all because of relevance, work more on the welfare of your people. Get the town more secured and get the council to partner with firms that can bring positive development to the town.
And for other contenders, I do sincerely wish you the best as your party primaries draw closer. And if any of you is divinely ordained to be one that would bring the much-desired prosperity and development back to that great LCDA, I pray that this election shall favour you from the primaries to the main elections.
Imota LCDA:
I am aware that the current Chairman of this LCDA, like his colleagues, is also bidding for re-election. Well, who no like better thing?
But, I am surprised he’s got the courage to seek re-election because no qualified reason to show he deserves it. And the part that seems funny to me is that I heard he is running unopposed! How?
What has happened to cerebral people in the mould of Olaoluwa Godwin (OGO), Tpl. Tolulope Tajelawi, Mr. Lekan Ogunbowale, Hon. Hassan Anjorin? I mean what’s keeping them out of the race?? I guess they didn’t go that route because of the ‘ọmọ ẹni wa’ factor which our parents kept singing everywhere. Very sad!
Hon. Chairman! I don’t know how hard this would get at you, but I must state that your nonchalant attitude to the people and your community is next to none. Like, how do you sleep with your two eyes closed at night?! Everything you portray loosened, even as it regards development issues.
Sir, I hope you know the office you occupy is not forever. Anyway, I pray that you will be aware of your deeds, for there are rewards for the deeds of each man.
In Conclusion
I wish all the aspirants all the best and pray that the best man will emerge.
When in office, learn to blow your trumpet, let the people you govern see and feel what you do – make your projects visible and impactful.
Focus more on people-oriented projects and make a meaningful impact. Get the youths empowered (not the archaic empowerment of training without funds for setting up), commit massively to education, improve on the healthcare delivery, improve on the security of lives and properties, work in partnership with the state agencies and other private companies or donors to improve on roads in your purview.
Don’t be nonchalant to important things that concern your constituents, be a good listener.
Always remember that political offices have an expiry date, no one stays there forever. It’s not a sacred thing o! Stop running under the shield of the elders. If you do good for your people, you will have nothing to run from.
Also in the analyses, Princess Ladega advised Council Chairmen to make good use of their media and other aides in propagating their activities while in office and also make good use of them in executing their agendas.
Make good use of your aides!!! You can’t engage people as media aides and yet, your visibility, public perception, project exposure are rated low. What's the justification for the pay? You should keep your SAs on media, political matters, governance, community development etc on their toes at all times.
They should be up and doing. Not to be seen as political hangers-on but active participants in the business of good governance.
Make good use of your Personal Assistants (PAs). They’ re meant to be your day-to-day planners. Engage professionals who know their job and allow them to deliver without encumbrance.
