Kunle Adelabu
The Chairman, Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, Hon. Wasiu Agoro, has revealed that the full operations of the council will be moving into the new secretariat attheend of this month.
Hon. Agoro, who denied that the council was chased out of its present location by the Lagos State Hospital Management Board, the owner of the property which the council has been occupying temporarily for 23 years, said that such rumors are political, adding that he decided to move the council’s operations out for the development of a General Hospital.
The council operations have since been moved out of the former secretariat to the Imota Reading Room which the council boss renovated some years back for conversion into an e – library and the council’s area office.
The administration of Hon. Agoro purchased the two acres of land directly opposite the the Aspahlt Plant in Imota in 2019, for over N10million and flagged – off the construction of an ultra – modern council secretariat the same year.
According to the plans made available to THE IMPACT at the commencement of its construction, the secretariat will comprise of offices with ante – rooms, conference hall, toilet facilities, boardroom, canteen, marraife registry, legislative chamber and offices for the seven Councilors among others.
“The place was temporarily used as a secretariat for lmota LCDA. It’s not ours.
“When I came on board, the first thing I did was to get two acres of land opposite the asphalt plant in Imota, and we have been working on it since then and by the end of this month, we are moving into our secretariat”, Hon. Agoro confirmed to THE IMPACT.
While dismissing the rumors that the council has been chased out as political, the council chairman also challenged our reporter, who has been monitoring the construction of the ultra – modern secretariat, to pay another visit to the site and report the state of its construction.
“All that they are saying are political. You know the place and you have been covering it since we started. You can pay an unscheduled visit to the place and report what you see.
“Just go there on your own without informing me or any other person, and call me for my response thereafter.
“There is nothing like our secretariat in the whole of Ikorodu division. I am proud to tell you that. I won’t say more than that”, he said.
The lmota council boss, explaining why he had to move the council operations out of the property of the hospital management board, said:
“We are presently at the Reading Room which I renovated, while we moved others to the area office.
“Why I moved the secretariat is because the federal government has approved a federal medical centre for Epe, so, they are bringing all the equipment at the General Hospital, Epe, to Imota, because there is no space in other places like Agbowa and Ijede.
“Since we have space in Imota and the place that we are using as the council secretariat belong to the health commission, I feel that there is no need holding on to the place at the expense of what is coming.
“I requested for the 80 – bed hospital in Imota from Rep. Babajimi Benson, and since we are the ones that facilitated that which is very useful to our people, I should not be seen to be creating any hinderance for its expansion.
“When we were even asked to make use of a block there, I insisted that there is no need. I was the one that decided that we should vacate the property so that we can allow the place to develop for the purpose it is meant for”, he said.
Hon. Agoro also informed that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu, will be on the ground to commission what he said would be the best in Ikorodu Division and also one of the best in the state.
“For your information, Rep. Benson is coming for a working visit and we shall pick a date for that soon and by the time we are set to commission the new secretariat, the Governor of Lagos State will be in attendance to commission it and everyone will see what we have been able to do”, he said.
