Kunle Adelabu
His Royal Majesty Oba (Engr.) Kabir Adewale Shotobi the Ayangbure of Ikorodu
The First Permanent Vice Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas & Chiefs and Permanent Chairman, Ikorodu Division Chieftaincy Committee, His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa (Oba) Engr. Kabir Adewale Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, has called for more government presence in Ikorodu.
Oba Shotobi also charged residents of Ikorodu Division which has been adjudged as the third largest city in Western Nigeria and 11th largest in the country to continue supporting the ruling government so as to have more infrastructural developments to sustain the city status.
Ayangbure made this appeal last weekend during the ‘Walk for Fitness’, tagged, ‘Say No To Drugs’, which was organized by the Ikorodu – Oga Development Association (IKODASS) to usher in the 31st edition of the annual Ikorodu – Oga Day Carnival.
The royal father, who said that the state and federal governments are generating high revenues in form of taxes in Ikorodu, advocated for more infrastructural renewal for the status of Ikorodu as a city.
“We (Ikorodu) have been noted to be the 3rd largest city in Southwest and the 11th in the whole of Nigeria. We did not make it up, but we want to support that statistic and the assessment. That is why we have to ensure that we sustain the standard by making the government maintain infrastructural development in ikorodu”, Oba Shotobi said.
“We want the government to create recreation centres for us in Ikorodu. We want to make sure that the traffic bottleneck that we have at roundabout is limited and ensure that it’s seamless to drive around in Ikorodu”.
“More so, Ikorodu is a catchment center in the whole of the division and you can see that none of the commercial banks operating in Nigeria that is not here in lkorodu. That shows Ikorodu has value and I can tell you statistically what we are giving to the government on tax revenue.
“Ikorodu is giving large revenue to the federal government. There are companies like PHCN, PZ and other big companies that are in Ikorodu that are paying taxes.
“We sat with many of these companies few weeks back at a business breakfast organized by the IKODASS and we can say that there are lots of revenue being generated from Ikorodu and that is the more reason that we must see the presence of the federal government and the state government in Ikorodu to make sure that this place continue to develop.
“We have been on the map of Nigeria for a long time. Trunk A Roads pass through us and Ikorodu has been noted for that”.
More so, Oba Shotobi called on the residents of Ikorodu to partake in the forthcoming general elections by voting for the government that will bring more presence to Ikorodu.
“We should make sure that we go in line with the government to benefit more from its presence in Ikorodu. We want to win the elections (2023 General Elections) with our votes. That is our weapon to show that we are in partnership with the government”, the royal father said.
“We lost it during the time of Awolowo and also lost it with MKO Abiola during the Hope 1993 and now, this is another hope, Hope 2023, hence, we must make sure that it does not slip off our hands again. All of us must go to the voting booth to vote. I am going to vote and I want everybody to join me in voting”, Oba Shotobi charged.
