Wale Jagun
As Banjo, team launches Edge Rate Campaign and Celebrations
Representative of Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Rep. Babajimi Benson, has commended the maturity displayed by the former Chairman, Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Adeola Banjo, in honouring him and his wife, after his exit from office despite their political differences.
Rep. Benson who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence, said that he expected the former council boss to harbour grudge against him because his preference for Banjo’s former Vice Chairman, Hon. Ameen Apanisile, who succeeded the former chairman against his choice.
The three – term lawmaker, did not mince words about his decision in supporting his chosen candidate at the last council election. He said this during the surprise thank you visit of the former council boss and his team to his constituency office in Ikorodu at the weekend.
Banjo has been visiting political leaders, traditional rulers and critical stakeholders like Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, former Deputy Governor, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, a chieftain of the GAC, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, State APC leader, Hon. (Dr.) Adeola Jokomba, State APC Secretary among others, to present them with appreciation frames.
During the visit, Banjo and his team also launched a new idea – Edge Rate Campaign and Celebrations.
“This has come to me as a surprise, but, those who know me understand that I always address issues the way they are without any fear. I will speak the truth and do whatever I think is right for my constituency because that is how I was trained.
“As I said, I did not see this coming because I thought Banjo was still angry with the way the chairmanship contest turned out. But it wasn’t personal to me and when Banjo served as the chairman for two terms, nothing would have stopped me from supporting him in this life.
“I always look at those contesting and I have always taken decision in the best interest of my community. Banjo was the best at that time.
“I know that there are issues due to what happened and that does not stop me from loving him or he from doing same to me. Though, he has every reason not to talk to me again. He has the right because I supported his former vice against his own candidate, but he is mature about it,” the lawmaker said.
Rep. Benson emphasised that his decisions have always been in the interest of his constituency and nothing personal about them.
“But be that as it may, he has to handover the baton to a new leader. If we say that we are in love with our town, it is a must that we consider handing over to the younger generations.
“It was the people that gave me the title of Otun Ikorodu, to be part of placing Ikorodu on the path pf growth and to use my judgement fairly and make the right decision.
“When Sesan Daini was contesting, and I looked at others but I couldn’t find any that ranked with him, I put everything into the contest to support him. I am not God; I can win or lose the contest, but have to take the decision. Doing that then, we offended political bigwigs but my conscience was clear and that’s all that it was and still is.”
He further commended Banjo’s maturity and gesture when he also recalled what he has done in the past to honour him.
“He (Banjo) understands that and that is why I said that I am surprised he can roll out the drums for me. He wrote poem to commend me in the frame he’s presenting and brought somebody that is well educated to read it and drummers also accompanied them.
“Banjo, I should be the one thanking you. Thank you, because you have done very well. We fought many battles together: openly and secretly. We have also had to pitch tents differently and in all, we are still friends. So, I really appreciate you.
“I still recall what you did holding a parliamentary session to honour me on my birthday and also named a hall after me in the council without even telling me. You are also honouring my wife whom you have called the “original JB”, and I do not know what that gives me (general laughter),” Rep. Benson said.
He emphasised that his constituency comes first to him in taking any decision which is why he always stands firm whenever he has to.
“Even though I am feeling that Banjo is possibly angry, I did no bad to him. It is just that my community comes first and I always take my decisions along that line and it is possible that I don’t get to win which has happened before in the case of Alhaji Rilwan Jinadu, whom I supported as the council chairman.
“Therefore, I always queue and align towards wherever my conviction is without any apology to anybody.
“In spite of our little differences, you still stood up to say this is my guy and extend your hands of fellowship to me. I do not take it for granted and I thank you so much. You have put smile on my face with this,” he added.
Rep. Benson expressed his wish that the former chairman will still have the opportunity to get another opportunity to serve his people.
Dr. Adeola Banjo, the former council boss presenting the frame titled, “By Their Hands, We Rose” to Rep. Babajimi Benson, earlier, said that he is not saying his farewell to public service, rather, appreciating those that stood by him and people that have contributed to the development of Ikorodu immensely.
“Today, I stand before you not as one who speaks of power, but as one who has been privileged to witness its purest form, which is service. As I lay down the mantle entrusted to me as Chairman of Ikorodu North LCDA, my heart is full, not of farewells, but of gratitude. For in the course of these years, I have seen what leadership looks like when it flows from conviction and not convenience, when it is driven by compassion and not competition.
“There are men whose presence feels like prophecy, leaders whose arrival aligns with the longings of a people. To such a leader, Ikorodu bows today. Honourable Babajimi Adegoke Benson, JB, your life has become a parable of what leadership should look like when it serves and not shouts, when it listens and not lords, when it heals and not hurts.”
He encapsulated the quality representation of the lawmaker and how he has been impacting every part of his constituency in a literary manner to eulogise him.
“And if Ikorodu were to write a letter to her children today, to all her sons and daughters who will one day rise to lead, she would surely speak of you. She would say: There was a son among you who walked my streets not with haste, but with the hush of stewardship. He did not wear me like a cloak; he bore me like a calling.
“He lit lamps where my paths had forgotten light. He gave my elders bread and dignity. He answered the broken tar of my roads with smoothness and purpose. He brought governance down from the clouds and made it sit among the people, at their tables, in their markets, and in their weary sighs.
“I heard his name, Jimi, whispered in Isiwu, spoken in the news from Imota, echoed through the winds of Ijede, and carried in the rain over Baiyeku, not as a politician’s chant, but as a prayer that had found a face. He showed me that governance can descend from abstraction to affection, that leadership can kneel beside the people, and that a name can become a movement — Just Beacon, Judicious Bastion, Justice Bringer.
“So to you, my children, follow that kind of light. Serve as he served. Lead as he led. And remember that true power is not in position but in presence. Because of him, I believe again. Because of his service, my strength is renewed. Because of his light, my name still shines.
“And so today, while that letter is yet unwritten, we speak it aloud in your presence, JB, that you may know how deeply this city thanks you and how proudly she calls you her son.
“Because of you, hopes once shelved have found expression. Because of your courage, quiet battles were won behind the scenes. Because of your selfless service, things long delayed are finally taking shape. You did not come to be seen; you came to serve. And in doing so, you became the turning wind across Ikorodu, touching every LCDA and the heart of our local government with a grace that uplifts, reforms, and restores.
“We have seen it not only in projects delivered but in people transformed. You did not chase credit; you chased impact, and we felt it. You led with the quiet fire of a man who is Extremely Resilient, Extra Resourceful, and Efficiently Responsible. You governed with the steadiness of one Endlessly Reliable, Earnestly Responsive, and Ethically Respected. You thought through issues with the calm of one Exceptionally Rational, acted with the fairness of one Equitably Rigorous, remained Enduringly Rooted among your people, and proved yourself an Exceptional Representative of their trust.
“You have shown us that these are not just words; they are values lived and proven in public light. Through your example, Ikorodu has seen that leadership is not about applause, but about accountability. That greatness is not about privilege, but about purpose. That legacy is not about the noise one makes, but the lives one mends,” Dr. Banjo said during the thank you visit.
Banjo further emphasised the impacts and importance of Rep. Benson’s representation and leadership, adding that:
“As I step aside from this seat of stewardship, I do so with peace, knowing that men like you still hold the lamp high, that even in times of doubt, Ikorodu has sons who refuse to let her dreams die.
“And so, on behalf of the good people of Ikorodu North LCDA, I present this frame titled “By Their Hands, We Rose” — not merely as decoration, but as declaration that we recognise the hands that helped us rise.
“Representative Babajimi Adegoke Benson, thank you for standing up when it mattered.
“Thank you for showing us that service is still sacred. Thank you for reminding us that greatness is still possible. Thank you for rising, and in doing so, helping us rise.
May Ikorodu never lose leaders like you. May your strength never wane, and may your light never dim.”
Presenting the Edge Rate (ER) Campaign and Celebrations, Mr Babatunde Olowu, a media expert and an associate of Dr Banjo, said that Rep. Benson will be unveiled at a later date to be the face of the new initiative.
“Today, we gather not only to speak of ER as an idea but to celebrate it embodied in a man whose service has redefined representation in our time.
“We honour Representative Babajimi Adegoke Benson, not for titles but for truth and transformation. Through his legislative work, his projects, and his compassion for people, he has shown that leadership can still be noble and service can still be sacred. In his conduct, ER has found meaning, and in his service, it has found a story.
“JB is a carrier of ER, a man extremely resilient, exceptionally rational, ethically respected, eloquently revolutionary, and endlessly reliable. He reminds us that influence without integrity is empty and that greatness is measured not by recognition but by responsibility.
“It is in this spirit that we announce today that Honourable Babajimi Adegoke Benson will, at a date to be officially announced, be unveiled as the Face of ER in Nigeria at a grand celebration where the book titled We Know He Cares: How JB Proved It in Law, Projects, and People will be publicly presented, and the newly revised Asiwaju’s Anthem will be performed by a full orchestra in his honour.”
At the presentation were Hon. Sesan Daini, former Chairman, Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA, Hon. Kunle Odugbesi, former Secretary to Ikorodu North LCDA among others.
