Kunle Adelabu
The Chairman of Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. (Prince) Wasiu Adekunle Agoro, has set January 2024 date as the completion time when elected officials and staff of the council would move into the ultra – modern secretariat that his administration is building for the council.
Agoro performed the ground – breaking ceremony for the construction in 2019, with the completion date set for four years, but the delay in the construction works due to the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic in 2021, affected the completion schedule.
The new secretariat is located within the Imota Industrial Hub where the Rice Factory and Asphalt Plant, among other facilities are located.
For over two decades, the Council has been occupying a property that belongs to the Lagos State Hospital Management Board (now Lagos State Health Management Commission) meant for the building of Imota General Hospital, and despite several quit notice that were issued to the council at different times, successive administration in the council did not deem it necessary to provide alternative secretariat until the emergence of Agoro about six years ago.
Although, there was an attempt years back which failed and the council was forced to settled the matter out of court. Since then, the council has stayed put within the hospital management board facility until when the current administration acquired two acres of land to build an ultra – modern council secretariat with offices and ante – rooms, conference hall, toilets, boardroom, canteen and other facilities.
In a chat with Hon. Agoro in his office at the council secretariat, he said that the construction is nearing completion date and that works are ongoing on the Secretariat project which he said would be the largest and most aesthetic secretariat in Ikorodu Division, if not Lagos State.
“The Council is just a tenant on this land and before our administration got to office, the council has been issued with quit notice to leave. The first thing that I did when we got to office in 2017, was to purchase 2 acres of land to build our secretariat and the construction is very close to completion. We are ready to leave if the hospital is taking off tomorrow. We will get a temporary place to use till when we finish our secretariat. This is because we are eager to let the community enjoy the medical service”, Hon. Agoro said.
“By the grace of God, our target is to move into the new secretariat by January 2024, when it would be commissioned. When completed, it would be the largest secretariat building in Ikorodu Division. Aesthetically, I don’t think that there is any secretariat that can match it. Unfortunately, when it comes to resource, we are number 57 in Lagos State, but we are very ambitious.
“We are going to commission the Imota LCDA secretariat in January 2014. This is a secretariat with hall, cafeteria, sickbay and 62 offices. So, it is going to accommodate every staff in the council. That is what we are looking forward to”, he added.
