Kunle Adelabu
-Lawmaker states that areas with massive votes would be considered for projects
-Community pledges votes for Governor Sanwo – Olu’s re – election
About five years after the award of the contract for the construction of Paul Palmer Road in Igbogbo in Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, the road, which links Oba Omolaja road with Igbe road, has been commissioned.
His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa (Oba) Barr. Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Builder Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA), other dignitaries and residents joined Rep. Babajimi Benson, Member, House of Representatives representing the Ikorodu Federal Constituency, in commissioning the first road he facilitated upon his election in 2015, for his first term.
The lawmaker, who was recently re – elected for a third term, had facilitated and completed other 32 roads across his federal constituency, while about six others are ongoing.
At the commissioning, Benson charged residents of the community and Igbogbo generally to improve on their votes, adding that the number of votes delivered to his party will, henceforth, determine facilitation of projects, while also pleading for support for the re – election of Governor Babajide Sanwo – Olu.
“Let us tell ourselves some truth because we are all at home. Now, roads, transformers, solar and other developmental projects will be cited in areas that have electoral relevance. Aftermath the governorship election on Saturday, we will analyse how each and every area voted for us”, he said.
“In this community, you did not deliver as we like despite our sincerity of purpose and love for you, by facilitating the road because our respect for Kabiyesi of Igbogbo, the Chairman, Olusesan Daini and Alhaji W.A Yusuf. You also have a CDA that are always on me at all time.
“Although, its completion takes a long time, but we show our commitment and desire by ensuring that we started it and see to its completion.
“I thank you all for your understanding and cooperation over this road, because it took a long time to be completed. The contractor that started the project died while the project was on and it took time to get another one. However, we have compensated the community for the delay by extending the contract top cover more metres. Today, the road has been extended to link Igbe road which was not part of the original contract.
“We are also going to give you more compensation by ensuring that more roads are done by the General Manager, Lagos State Public Works Department, but you must deliver all the polling booths for the APC”, Rep. Benson stated.
While charging resident of Igbogbo further on the need to vote for the re – election of the governor and other APC candidates, Rep. Benson said that Ikorodu must improve on her performance at the Presidential and National elections.
“You have the opportunity to make me happy too by massively delivering booths 13, 14, 34 and 35 to APC. We can do better than we did in the previous elections because there is competition. You need to know that those that came second and third in Lagos State in the last election are not happy with Ikorodu emerging as number one. They want to do better than us. We must not rest on our oars”, he said.
“There is also competition among councils in Ikorodu and we are looking at which among the six councils will deliver most votes for us. Imota did well in the last election and based on this, they will continue to get big projects because once Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu), the governor, Senator Abiru and myself, look at the results, we will always be pleased to do more for them.
“Igbogbo has the opportunity to improve and perform better only if they can mobilise more. I want all of us here today to turn to canvassers and start mobilizing for the governorship and Assembly elections and ensure that our people cast their votes massively for APC”, he charged.
The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Semiudeen Kasali, in his royal message, commended Rep. Benson for his representation.
He assured that Igbogbo will deliver maximum votes for the re-election of the APC candidates.
“I have reasons to be thankful and I thank Rep. Benson. I also congratulate the CDAs that are beneficial of the road. We must continually thank our representative so that he’ll be encouraged to do more. May God continue to bless him”, Oba Kasali said.
“He has charged our people on the need to vote massively if they are to benefit more projects and I am in support of that. I can assure that they will do just that and even do more.
“Our representative should tell Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) that we supported and voted for him in Igbogbo, and we are going to vote accordingly again”, the royal father added.
While stating that Igbogbo performed well in the last elections, the royal father also assured residents that the government has assured him of improvements on ongoing projects.
“But I must state clear that Imota votes are not more than that of Igbogbo”, he said.
“In Igbogbo, we have the belief that the government will remember us with good projects, and I have been assuring our people that government has not forgotten about. I have been assured that there will be tremendous improvements on the ongoing projects after the governor’s second term inauguration. Let us vote accordingly”.
Builder Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, while appreciating residents of his council, said that Rep. Benson has shown his love for Igbogbo and there is need to repay him with votes for the APC.
“Hon. Babajimi has done 32 roads and another six others ongoing at the moment. Out of the 32, this road that is being commissioned today is very first road that he facilitated. This shows that we in Igbogbo, are very special to Hon. Benson for him to deemed us first to be considered for road facilitation. And if he has done that for us, we are indebted to him”, he said.
“We thank you and entire Ikorodu Division residents for turning out in large number to vote for the APC. We thank you for making Ikorodu the number one in Lagos.
“Hon. Babajimi Benson also turned out to be the number one in term of votes garnered among the 24 elected House of Representatives in Lagos State. This shows that we all appreciated him. But on this, we have four polling booths – 11, 12, 34 and 35. I took my time to look into the results from these booths and I discovered that we only scored 85 votes in Booth 11 and we had 30 votes plus in another. The truth is that most votes from this area are not enough to appreciate the good work of Hon. Benson”, Builder Daini expressed his reservations.
He said that the community should commensurate their demands with more votes for the re – election of Governor Sanwo – Olu.
“Despite that, you have made several demands in your report which you cannot commensurate with votes delivered. We want you to improve on this. You have not done any wrong and we are here to appeal to you to mobilise and deliver more votes for APC. I want to be hearing 200, 250 and more votes from the four booths”, he said.
“Next Saturday is most crucial and I want you to deliver your votes for our party. While your votes in the last election will not be counted against you, the coming ones will be noted. You can still benefit more projects in this area if you deliver very well for APC.
“I beg you to come out en masse on Saturday and vote for APC. We should not allow foreigners to take over Lagos, and if we don’t want that, we must ensure that we vote massively. That is the only way to avoid the repeat of what happened in Ilorin between Afonja and Alimi”.
While stating that the governor deserved re – election, Daini listed some of his administration’s achievements.
“Our governor has performed and he deserves our votes. The biggest Rice Mill in the whole of Africa and the third in the whole world is in Imota. His government made that happened and very soon, the rice will be exported. The implication of this is that there will be employment opportunities for our children”, he said.”
“ Also,the Deep Seaport where the biggest ship in the world can berth is in Lagos. Vehicles are costly in Nigeria because there is no deep seaport and bringing them from the ocean to Apapa from the big ships that are unable to berth there usually takes a longer period to do and it involves more cost. The Lekki Deep Seaport will resolve these problems and make life more meaningful for Lagosians.
“Another project that is also going to benefit us in Lagos is Dangote Refinery which was started by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and one of the Directors that started it is Babajimi Benson. What that refinery will be producing daily will be more than enough for Nigeria. There will be enough for local consumption and for export. It is our government that made that happen.
“There is also the Blue train that was also initiated by this government. The rail line will pass through Imota.
“My appeal to you all is that we must show appreciation to the APC and our governor, Mr Sanwo – Olu, with our votes. Our votes alone cannot do the job, we must also mobilise our family members, friends and others to vote as well on Saturday”, he charged.
He appealed to the community to take charge of the road and report any issue on it in good time to the Council for proper action.
The General Manager, Lagos State Public Works Department, Engr. Lateef Somide, appealed to residents to support and vote for the re – election of governor Sanwo – Olu, to continue the synergy that is bringing developments to Ikorodu.
“The existence of cooperation between Hon. Babajimi Benson at the federal level, Hon. Daini who is the Chairman at the local level and our governor at the state level is because of the synergy that exists among them”, he said.
“It is because of this synergy that we are experiencing the dividends of democracy. It is now incumbent on us to sustain the synergy by ensuring that we all troop out on Saturday to vote for the continuity by voting for the APC.
“I am here from the state level because of the synergy and we have been to the Church and now here for the commissioning. You will now see that it is the same party that is making an impact everywhere”, he said.
While stating that his department will look at some of the other roads identified by the community for construction, Engr. Somide also assured residents of Igbogbo that the Paul Palmer road and other constructed and rehabilitated roads in Igbogbo, will be sustained by his LSPWD.
Earlier in their joint address, Pastor Adeniji J .A, Chairman, Igbeyin – Adun CDA and the Alakaka – Elect and Elder Awobajo, Chairman, Ife – Oluwa Community Development Areas (CDAs), thanked Rep. Benson for the facilitation and completion of the road.
They assured that the community will maintain and protect the projects and also promised to deliver more votes to the APC.
“Honounrable, our good and ever reliable constituency representative, to whom much is given, much is expected, we want to assure you that within our human effort, we will ensure adequate cleaning of gutters, proper sweeping of the road and immediate fixing of likely damages.
“Alas!. Before His Royal Majesty, Executive Chairman of Igbogbo/ Bayeiku LCDA and Honourable Babajimi Benson, the three [3] maintenance strategies listed under our pledge will be easy and possible if the Lagos Waste Management Authority can supply us with sweepers through our able Local Council Development Authority [LCDA] and also, council officers can be deployed at the end of every month [Environmental day] to cart away the refuse and rubbish excavated from the gutter”, they said.
“Honorable Babajimi Benson, our newly re-elected Member of House of Representative Federal Republic of Nigeria, we further promise to do more than what we did on 25th of February 2023 through the co – ordinatorship of Honorable W. A Yusuf, Alhaji Oduborisha and all the 9 CDA Chairmen The coming gubernatorial election will be ‘IBO OLOYI‘ as every individual in our communities will vote for APC to re – elect the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu”.
The community also requested for the construction of more roads and drainages, installation of solar-powered streetlights, provision of street sweepers and consideration of more residents for the monthly ‘Apo – Anu’ food distribution by the performing federal lawmaker.
