1-yr anniv: Lagos council boss unveils greater devt plans for residents

The Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Council, Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda, popularly called (AKOD), has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to people-oriented, inclusive and transparent governance, saying its first year in office has laid a solid foundation for greater development in the council.

Dauda stated this on Wednesday, during the distribution of food items to vulnerable residents of the council as relief package, the third and final programme organised to commemorate the first anniversary of his administration.

Speaking before mammoth crowd, council officials, party members and other stakeholders at the council secretariat, Ikeja, the chairman said his administration remained committed to the promises contained in its “IKEJA Agenda: Making Governance Work for All.”

“When we presented the IKEJA Agenda, ‘Making Governance Work for All’, we made a solemn promise to pursue people-oriented, inclusive, transparent and development-focused governance,” Dauda said.

He said the administration had remained committed to the five strategic pillars of its campaign: infrastructural development and urban renewal; knowledge-based economic empowerment; environmental governance and healthcare initiatives; a just society driven by social services; and accountability and good governance.

According to him, the administration had kept faith with its commitments in the last 12 months and laid a solid foundation for further development, adding that its achievements so far represented only the beginning of what was to come.

“Our administration has remained focused on improving infrastructure, enhancing the protection of the environment, empowering our people through education and innovation, strengthening healthcare delivery, expanding social services and promoting accountability in governance as envisioned in the IKEJA Agenda,” he said.

Dauda said the council had recorded notable interventions in road rehabilitation, sanitation, youth empowerment, healthcare delivery, education, market modernisation, economic empowerment and citizen engagement.

“We have recorded remarkable impact in road rehabilitation, sanitation, youth empowerment, healthcare delivery, education, market modernisation, economic empowerment and citizen engagement.

The chairman stressed the importance of citizens’ participation in governance, saying government would achieve more when residents actively engaged in the governance process.

Dauda urged residents to participate in community meetings, stakeholder consultations and other feedback channels, noting that their ideas, observations and suggestions would continue to shape the council’s policies and programmes.

He also called on residents to take ownership of the environment by maintaining cleanliness, disposing of waste responsibly, protecting public infrastructure and supporting environmental sustainability.

Council boss appreciated market women, civil society organisations, traders, business and religious leaders and party members for their engagement and partnership with his administration over the past year.

The chairman said the collaboration had strengthened the administration’s resolve to serve the people better.

He said the year ahead would witness increased investment in education, particularly school rehabilitation, as well as the provision of more healthcare centres, noting that the council had secured plots of land for the construction of two new health centres.

He urged residents to take ownership of the infrastructure provided by the council and pay their levies and rates as and when due.

Different religious leaders who spoke at the ceremony commended Dauda for what they described as his open policy and efforts to integrate stakeholders into the council’s programmes and policies.