Kunle Adelabu
-Urges unity, youth to make statement with votes
The youth across various communities, locations and groups within the Igbogbo/Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, have been presented with the direction and focus of the type of administration to expect in the next four years by the Chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hammed Olalekan Aroyewun (HOA).
At an historic gathering, where the APC candidate hosted hundreds of youths from over 50 registered groups and associations across the council, he presented them with his roadmap for youth engagement, participation and engagement which is an integral part of his GLORY Agenda.
Leadership and members of the Igbogbo Students’ Union (ISU) the oldest in the state, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA Chapter, Igbogbo Youth Forum (IYF), the umbrella body of all youth groups in Igbogbo Kingdom, Itun Abosan Youth Forum, Ibeshe Youth, Oreta Youth, Offin Youth, Agunfoye Youth, LEO, Rotaract, Team Lagos, NASFAT Youth, Lads & Lasses Brigade, Boys Scout, Offin Boys, Selewu Youth, Oreyo Youth, Ansar Ud Deen Youth, MSSN Youth, APC Youths, Igbe Laara Youth, Ilado and Ogunlewe Youth and other various groups across the length and breadth of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA present engaged in a fruitful interactive session with the candidate.
After a motion by Dr. Adeleke Dankuwo, President, Igbogbo Youth Forum (IYF), which was supported through voice votes by the large audience, other group leaders joined him in endorsing the APC candidate by raising his hands to the approval of the audience.
Aroyewun also used the opportunity of gathering the largest congregation of youth groups in the history of Igbogbo, at the Megalite Event Hall, Igbogbo on Monday, to appeal for cooperation, unity and votes that will make big statements that Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA under his administration will be a force to reckon with in the comity of councils.
While speaking on how he got the party ticket, Aroyewun, who holds two Masters degrees and resigned as senior staff of the Lagos State Internally Generated Revenue (LIRS), said that he got it on the strength of his participation in his party, selfless community engagement, youthfulness and more importantly, the demand by the youth across the council for his emergence.
“I got the ticket of the party, All Progressives Congress (APC) on the strength and platform of being a youth. But not only because of that, but also because I am a youth that has prepared myself for the office of the Chairman, Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA.
“I must say that the decision of the leaders of our party was based on the decision of the youth demanding for me their choice in Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA. Your insistence that I am your choice, because I have served the community in many capacities and also for the fact I have always been available to serve the community made the difference.”
The APC flagbearer continued, “I have not only served the community in different capacities, I know the nook and cranny of the community because I have been part and parcel of you and live all my life here. Even when I travelled outside the country, the highest I have ever stayed outside is a month.
“I always want to be at home to give my best to the service of this community with my colleagues. Together, we have been offering our selfless service to the community. We have always focused on the development of the community and today, the leaders have considered all that to give us this ticket,” Aroyewun submitted.
He appealed for unity and cooperation of the youth to sustain the ongoing development and improve on it.
“It is important that as youth, we come together, cooperate and unite in the coming government.”
Comrade Olusesan Daini, is a youth like us, who has done wonderfully well in Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA. It was his good deeds that encourage to advocate for more opportunities for the youth so that we can sustain the tempo of developments and improve on it.
“I am assuring that we are going to improve on the foundation laid by Daini for the progress and development of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA. That is where we are going to start and that is what we are going to leverage on and build upon,” he assured.
Unveiling his agenda for youth, the APC candidate promised the hundreds of youth in the hall that their needs, concern and development will be top priority of his administration if elected as the the LCDA chairman.
He revealed his plans to tap into hidden talents in entertainment, sports and other human endeavours that youth are engaged in, and how he plans to assist them in fulfilling their potential.
“It is very important to state that when we started this journey about two years ago, we invited some indigenes and residents to draw our agenda for the development of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA called the GLORY Agenda. This entails what our people want, addressing their challenges and programmes that our administration can do that will be in conjunction and align with that of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu of the Federal Government of Nigeria and as well go along with the THEME Plus Agenda of Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu, Governor of Lagos State.
“Also, an agenda that will not be different from what is obtainable in Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA and that of our party, APC.
“After exhaustive sessions and with the help of many stakeholders, we came up with the GLORY Agenda, we talk about Education, Clean Environment, Health, Infrastructural Renewal and the most important for this gathering is our plans for the youth. We are blessed in Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA with youths that are sport and entertainment inclined.
“We thought about how we can tap into these potentials to promote our youths. Entertainment is business not just entertaining the people which is why I want to do it as a business. Our plan is to have contact with the likes of Davido, Whizkid and Olamide and others to make youths come under their tent for mentorship, training and promotion. The local government will bear the full responsibilities for this,” he unveiled.
He continued: “In film industry, we also plan to have relationships with established stars to help develop our youth. We have designed these plans so that all of us can grow together for the development and betterment of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA.
“On the issue of sports, we have talents and we intend to assist them in their development. We are going to establish an international front desk to make information available for them. We know that our youths have the talents and skills and we intend to establish contacts with professionals and clubs abroad to help our international front desk to search for clubs that our youth can go to for trials to get into top clubs. The council will be responsible for this.
“When they start making money, a reasonable part of their incomes would come back to this town and that will improve our economy when wealth is circulated.
“In today’s world, skill acquisition is key and we want to embark on a very strong and substantial empowerment programme for those into vocational setup. We want to assist them with training, equipment, promotion and create markets for them to compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
“Fortunately for us, many of these professionals that we need to train our youths are our people who are ready to give us support for the development of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA.”
Aroyewun, shifted focus away from his agenda, and pleaded with the youth in their large numbers to come out on Saturday to vote en mass for his party, a development he said that he wanted to leverage upon when he is eventually elected.
“I am pleading with you that this election is not all about winning, but also making a big statement with it that we have the numbers. If you look critically at programmes that Sen. Tokunbo Abiru, Rep. Babajimi Benson and Hon. Aro Moshood Abiodun are facilitating, because we voted en mass in the last general elections to the extent that the President got the highest number of votes in any federal constituency from Ikorodu.
“This gives them the opportunity to ask the Presidency for projects. I want us to repeat this. I am pleading that we should not relax, feeling that we are already there without the votes. I want us to vote and make a resounding statement. I want our votes in the coming elections to triple if possible, the more so that I will be able to leverage it with the governor for projects for my people.
“I will also be able to approach our Senator, Sen. Abiru, Julius Berger of our time, Rep. Babajimi Benson and Hon. Aro Moshood and make requests for projects. It is your votes that we need to be able to do this. Moreover, Rep. Benson is from Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA and he has pledged to give any LCDA with the highest number of votes good projects. I am begging you all to vote and let us emerge as the highest council with the number of votes.
“Let us troop out to vote to emerge compulsorily the highest in terms of votes in Ikorodu Division, Lagos East and Lagos State as a whole. This is very important,” he charged.
“If I am elected as the next Chairman of Igbogbo/Baiayeku LCDA, I will surprise any ward with the highest number of votes with big projects. I am challenging you that my ward which is C1 will record the highest number of votes and I await C2, 3 and others to take up the challenge and prove to me after the election who is number one,” he pledged.
Speaking further on his project, Aroyewun said that Information Technology (IT) is key development factor in the modern world and pledged to build a youth house that will not only serve as secretariat for every youth group, but will also be the central CBT hub in the council and one of the best in the state.
“Information Technology (IT) is key and I want to state clearly here at this youth programme that we are planning a Youth House; a standard Youth House that will be named Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA’s Youth House that the NYCN, IYF, Igbogbo Students’ Union, Oreta Students’ Union and other youth organization will have therein offices.
“The building will have a CBT Centre to provide for our students going to far places for their CBT examinations. We are planning an IT inclined Youth Centre that is modern in nature and that would be one of the best in the state. That is what we are planning to build.
“This will send a strong signal to the outside world that Igbogbo youth are the best but let us prove that first with our votes come Saturday, July 12, by voting our party, APC. You are not going to see my name,” he said.
He further emphasised the importance of recording a good number of votes and unity among the youth across the length and breadth of the council.
“Just thumbprint on it carefully and let your vote count, so that the party can know that the opportunity given to us as youths is being used properly and that we will continue to make good use of it when we get into government.
“I am confident with your support and prayers that we are going to perform wonders. We are going to do a lot of things that will make our party and the entire community not regret giving us the ticket. Thank you very much for the opportunity,” Aroyewun again assured.
“Once again, I want to plead and let you know that unity is the key. We must come together as a united family; united front for the progress, development and growth of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA. Thank you very much. God bless you,” he concluded.
In their remarks earlier, Dr. Adeleke Dankuwo, President, Igbogbo Youth Forum (IYF) and Mr Ogunsowo, acting Coordinator, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), welcome the initiative as a good platform for youth in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA to hear about plans of the candidate for them if elected and also make their own inputs.
