Kunle Adelabu
Executives and members of the Ikorodu Heroes Association (I -Heroes) have highlighted achievements of the body on Ikorodu Division in the last one year with records of impacts in the area of education.
I -Heroes Association also unveiled its programme for the next year which is a massive health intervention across the six councils in Ikorodu Division. This intervention became necessary after the group’s assessment of the state of Primary Health Centres in the Division.
The group gave its accounts of stewardship and unveiled its next agenda for Ikorodu Division at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at The Exclusive Club, Ita -Elewa , Ikorodu last week.
The I -Heroes President, Mr Olanshile Majolagbe, in his address at the meeting gave the position of the group on security, infrastructure and youth development in Ikorodu.
While commending the government and various security agencies and the traditional institutions for their efforts in curtailing the challenging security situation, he, however, urged them to do more to safeguard the lives and properties of residents. He called for synergy and cooperation among the security agencies to achieve desired results.
“I call for stronger coordination and intelligence sharing among security agencies, including the military, DSS, NSCDC, NDLEA, and others. I also urge the state and local governments to deploy more personnel to safeguard our communities.”
“In terms of infrastructure, the group also commended the two federal representatives from Ikorodu for their quality representation and the council chairmen and urged them to do more.
“We appreciate the efforts of our federal representatives, Hon. Babajimi Benson and Senator Tokunbo Abiru, in facilitating the Road projects in Ikorodu Division. However, the Infrastructure remains inadequate for a city that is the third largest in South-west Nigeria.
“I also commend the new local government chairmen for their responsiveness and dedication to governance. I pray the almighty God crowns your efforts to bring good governance to your local council areas.
“However, I wish to use this opportunity to call for urgent attention to Bola Tinubu Road linking Igbe Laara in Igbogbo LCDA. During the rainy season, residents are cut off due to its deplorable condition. With another rainy season approaching, we appeal to the Lagos State government to expedite work on this road.”
He called on political leaders and other stakeholders to initiate a comprehensive empowerment programme for the youth to prevent them going into cultism, drug abuse and other social vices.
Mr Godwin Olaoluwa Oke, the Secretary of the group speaking on the group’s educational programme last year, said the Back -to -School initiative targeted at provision of learning materials to 1000 pupils across the division was successfully done.
The distribution of school materials was carried out in two phases.
During the year in review, I – Heroes also embarked on stakeholders engagement where visits were paid to the six Executive Chairmen in Ikorodu Division and the Obateru of Egbin, HRM Oba AbdulHakeem Oyebo.
Speaking on the state of the PHCs across the Division, Mr Oke commended the facilities for providing necessary primary health intervention in the grassroots.
“Primary Health Centres in Ikorodu have been very profoundly safe to most rural dwellers and have provided needed support to low-income earners as well as the most vulnerable people in our community.
“These centres do not only provide first aid approach for our community people but have gone a long way to encourage them to embrace orthodox medicine.
“The government has several centres spread across the state of which Ikorodu is no exception. To a large extent, the government has invested in all the centres but we found out that more still needed to be done and that is why our support as an association is crucial,” he said.
He noted findings have revealed that renovation is ongoing in many of the PHCs.
“In all of the centres and from our engagement with some officials, we found out that many of the facilities lack fundamental tools to provide quality care resulting in low service utilisation (except for the new 40 bed hospital constructed by the member of the National Assembly representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency.
He listed some of the tools that are lacking in many of the centres which I -Heroes are looking forward to providing – Basic diagnostic equipment, Essential medicines and consumables, Personal protective equipment, Functional delivery bed, Sanitation resources & cold chain tools and Reduction materials for health awareness and family planning.
The group said that the resources gap directly impacts most vulnerable residents – pregnant women, infant and children and elderly persons in remote communities among others.
According to the I -Heroes Secretary, the group will be intervening in providing diagnostic and monitoring tools – Digital blood pressure, weighing scale, infra-Red thermometer, glucometres, pulse oximeters, and Essential medicine consumables – Antimalarial, prenatal vitamins, sterile syringes.
Also, Hygiene and PPE-surgical masks, hand gloves, disinfectants and Basic Equipment- examination beds, benches, medical waste bins, mopping sticks, crutches, walking sticks and Record keeping tools- patient registers, immunisation cards, filling shelves.
To achieve this project at around N10 million, I -Heroes as an association has solicited for support from privileged members of the public.
Some of the guests at the AGM/Public Discourse were Barr. Saheed Owolabi Kolawole Shillings, a former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch and social commentator, Mayor Muhydeen Sanwoola, Executive Assistant to the Governor on Parking Management, Comrade Lekan Biliamin Oba, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social Development, Omo’ba Hammed Aroyewun, Chairman, IBLCDA, Hon. Ameen Apanisile, Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA, Hon. Sulaimon Kazeem, Chairman, Ikorodu West LCDA, Hon. Mutunrayo Gbadebo -Alogba, Chairman, Ijede LCDA represented by her Vice, Hon. Femi Kareem, and Mr Adekunle Rasaq Aderibigbe, a former candidate for Ikorodu Constituency I seat and public analyst, Mr Hassan Ekundayo, a lecturer and public analyst, Mr Samson Bisiriyu, former chairmanship aspirant, Ikorodu North LCDA, Comrade Adebodun, Coordinator, NYCN Imota and Mr Adegboyega Folarin, media aide to Chairman, Imota LCDA among others.
