Kunle Adelabu & Mariam Akinloye
The outgone President, Mr Gbenga George Odunniyi formally handing over the mantle of IYC leadership to Comrade Kazeem Ogunmuyiwa as the new President of the body during thr inauguration ceremony at the Rotary Centre, Igbogbo on October 3, 2022.
months after their election, Comrade Kazeem Ogunmuyiwa and other elected executives of the Igbogbo Youth Coalition (IYC) has formally taken over the affairs of the umbrella body of the entire youths in Igbogbo, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, with charge to ensure that they have action plan for development of the coomunity..
Dignitaries at the ceremony also called on the IYC to work in unionism with other stakeholders in Igbogbo for sustainable development to be achieved.
The inauguration of Ogunmuyiwa, who recently as a State Trustee of the National Union of Local Government Employees of Nigeria (NULGE) and his team, ended the three years administration of Mr Gbenga George Odunniyi, and his former executives.
Ogunmuyiwa performing his fist official duty by swearing – in members of his own executives at the ceremony.
The inauguration and handing over ceremony which took place at the Rotary International Centre, along Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu Way (old Agbele Road(, Igbogbo on Monday, October 3, 2022.
Other members of the IYC executives are Odumuyiwa Olawale (Vice President 1), Edwin Abiola Oluwadamilola (Vice President 2), Olafare comfort Oladunni (General secretary ), Obayomi BABATUNDE (Assistant General Secretary), Adelakun Sulaimon (Welfare) and Oke Toyib Aina(Financial Secretary)
Others are Odunayo Iwapele Willams (Treasurer), Idowu Ahmed (Chief Whip), Adeleke AROYEWUN (Legal Adeviser), IPAYE Olawale (Project Coordinator 1), Awosanya OLATUNJI (Project Coordinator 2) and Aliu Mubarak Adekunle (PRO)
Builder Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA and Chief Host (standing) addressing he gathering while other guests were seated.
At the inauguration were various youth groups and representatives of important traditional areas within the Igbogbo Kingdom.
Chairman of the occasion, Aremo Adesegun Ogunlew, former Head of Service, Lagos State. He was represented by Engr. Abiodun Dankuwo, while commending the formation of the IYC in moving Igbogbo forward, also charged youths 9n the need to work together for greater advancement.
“Your coming together as youths is a very good thing and I believe will bring about the development of this town. If we are together, we become very strong but when we go separate ways our strength be weakened”, he said
Chairman, IYC Electoral Commiittee presenting the Certificate of Return to Comrade Ogunmuyiwa.
He charged youths to always sue their position in the state service or public sector to develop Igbogbo where they would returned back to after service.
Builder Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA who is the Chief Host , speaking commended the new IYC President for his services to the council and the community.
“I am happy to be here today at the inauguration of our newly elected officers of the Igbogbo Youth Coalition (IYC), fortunately, my brother is leaving the position and my friend is coming on board. Congratulations to Kazeem”. He said.
Dissolution of the past IYC executives by Mr Waheed Kasali, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Specoal Adviser on Education
‘I am happy that we are working together, for reasons know to me and for the support that you are giving to the council even outside the official duties, I thank you for your work for taking up the responsibilities and I am sure that you are going to add value to the coalition.
The Council boss also charged that youth to work together in unity to further develop the Igbogbo community.
“Previous speaker have spoken much about development, adding value to the community and so much about what we gain for the community, but in my own submission, I just want to appeal to us and which is key for development and in the absence of it we might be working and putting efforts but not have results, and that is unity”, he said.
Cross section of guests at the inauguration.
“We need to be united; we need to work together and make sure that we have a common goal before we can actually development.
“Why we are not moving at the pace that we are supposed to in our town is because disunity. Why we are where we are today is because when some people are supposed to be united and make community great, there is always disunity from those that feels that if they are not part of it, it would not be done.
“I want to appeal to us that it is a generational task that we must achieve unity. There will be issues and differences that may cause that we don’t go same way on some issues, but what should be a paramount is achieving the end point which is adding value and developments to the community”, he further stated.
The keynote speaker, Mr Sheriff Adekoya while congratulating the new executives of the IYC charged them to take note of the major issues discussed are used as administration’s action plans.
Adekoya who said that the societal demands and foreign cultures have place unnecessary responsibilities on the youths, called for
“Our future is supposedly bright but it is tainted by bleak. The attitude of youth of today does not give the assurances that the future is not collapsing upon us’, he said.
The speaker who said that the societal compass which instill norms and value on youths in the years past have been damaged called for ideological reawakening which he said must start from homes and discipline among youths.
While also stating that growth and development needed deliberate efforts, the speaker also charged youths to involved in community activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Special Adviser on Education (OSAE), Mr Waheed Kasali, the …, commended the IYC for initiative and charged the new executives to be ready to discharged on the expectation from the society.
‘Handing over the baton of leadership to the new executive is the height point of today, and in leadership there are expectations”, he said
“There is one that is very certain and even the national youth policy recognises the youths as investments for the nation and investment in youths is very essential for you to have what we called community development but there must be drivers of the process and that is why Igbogbo Youth Coalition is very strategic in this process.
While stating that there is no development without the youths involvement, Mr Kasali also charged IYC to think of 21st century ways of engaging the community so as to have a sustainable development.
“The major development that a community can experience is for the youths to have roles to play in it and we can see that Igbogbo is strategically placed globally and we the youths have a lot to do and that is what Igbogbo Youth Coalition has been doing since its inception
“But if we look at it critically, we needed to take steps further and make it 21st century compliant because anything that we are doing not compliant, it means that we are nowhere.
He charged the IYC leadership to recognize today’s challenges and have action plans to address the challenges of the 21st century.
The outgone President, Mr Gbenga Odunniyi, while handing over to the President, appreciated supports from the community in the last three years, and charged
“To the newly inaugurated executives, government is in continuum, whatever that you have been able to do will be continue and improve upon by succeeding administrations. So, work cannot be completed but, there will always be more work to do so far we want development”, he said.
“I want to charge the new executives to focus on the task before you. For those that have the experience having been part of the outgone administration, I want you to use the mistakes of the past to correct today”, he charged.
“Do your best in achieving the set goals”
Comrade Kazeem Ogunmuyiwa, the newly inaugurated IYC President in his acceptance speech acknowledged the impacts of the elders of Igbogbo that developed the community and many others that has been projecting the community at the state, national and international.
While stating that the task before his administration is enormous, he called for unity and synergy amongst various interests groups and members of the community to further develop Igbogbo.
“Fellow members, the tasks of achieving a more prosperous present and future of Igbogbo Kingdom are on us. The tasks are numerous and mighty, yet they are very achievable. But we must put on our thinking caps. We have to keep working together within a structure that is devoid of all acts of bitterness, and enmity. It is an established fact that our respectful synergy is responsible for the amazing progress we have made in recent times most specifically for our darling kingdom”, he said.
“With absolute respect to everyone here, and elsewhere today, the synergy is dieing. This is coming at the time that we need more than enough of the synergy to collectively achieve the Igbogbo of our dream.
I stand before this honourable gathering today to remind every youth of Igbogbo Kingdom that the Time Is Now for us to be more united for our kingdom, and for individual growth and development. Our unity, our synergy, our brotherhood are sacrosanct.
“As a matter of fact, this new executive council is formed as a result of negotiation, understanding, love, sacrifice, and togetherness. I implore each and every one of us to exhibit those exemplary traits always as members of the coalition and believers in the progress of Igbogbo kingdom.
Ogunmuyiwa assured that the new administration will not only continue the progressive tendencies of the immediate past administration but also improved on it and called on the society to give their financial, moral and whatever supports to achieving set agenda.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that this administration has configured itself to ensure continuity of the meaningful achievements of the last administration. Participation of individual members of this group in Igbogbo Day celebration is natural, and we won’t stop at that.
He unveiled his administration’s agenda in vocational training for the youths, career talk with students, partnering with National Orientation n sensitization about drug abuse and embark on fund raising to fund projects that would impact the youths and the society at large.
Other guests at the inauguration are Hon. Gbenga Oshin, former Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Omoba Adetola Ogunlewe, Director, Human Integration Unit, Ministry of Youth & Socila Development, TPL Tawakalitu Anifowoshe Akinsanya, Head Physical Planning Office in Ikorodu, Mr Hammed Aroyewun, a chieftain of the IYC and Dr Nurudeen Oshinlaja, a scholar among others.
The Iyalode of Igbogbo Kingdom led other Chiefs to the ceremony to represent the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo.
