We created LCDAs to bring government closer to people – Ikotun , Igando Executive Secretary

EMEKA IBEMERE

Since the beginning of democracy after the military regimes departed the ruling space for civilians in 1999, the primary purpose of establishing local government areas seems to have been relegated to the background giving room for some stakeholders to call for its abolition.

But Hon. Wale Azeez, Executive Secretary of Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), in Alimosho Local Government Area, has different views.

According to him, the Council areas are still functioning as a link road by the federal and state governments to get the government down to the grassroots and to give rural dwellers a sense of belonging.

He explained that the functions of local government areas includes collection of taxes and rates, issuance of licenses for vehicles, hawkers, television, bicycles and naming of streets.  Provision and maintenance of local markets, registration of deaths, births and marriages that occur within the areas of jurisdiction, provision of libraries and schools, provision and maintenance of healthcare facilities and provision of customary courts that handle issues that pertain to minor disputes, divorce, minor traffic offences, and disagreements over land are part of their functions.

They also make recommendations to both the federal and state governments. Meanwhile, these challenges are too numerous for the Councils whose lion share of allocation comes from the federal government.

Before now, Local Council votes go directly to the third tier of the government but recent political changes distorted that process and rendered the council very impotent in carrying out their functions and allowing the LGAs to rot with only overseeing the payment of council workers to the detriment of other things.

Despite the alleged hijacking of the Local Government Area’s allocation from the federal source by the state governors, Azeez, the Executive Secretary of Ikotun-Igando LCDA, denied the existence of any form of gap between the people, the local government and the federal governments. He stated that his local governments’ funds haven’t been hijacked by the state governor. “Its not so and the Joint Account you are talking about was for a purpose and you know we have 20 local governments and the 37 LCDAs. The fund is not even enough,” Azeez declared. 

According to him, Lagos State is agitating for the 37 LCDAs for constitutional recognition so as to bring governance closer to the people. “You know in Lagos State, we have 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs which the constitution has not recognised. And why we are agitating for this; is to let them know the importance of creating these LCDAs, so that we can bring the local governments closer to the people and then the federal government led by the PDP denied us this request,” he said.

 It is the wish of Azeez, the Executive Secretary of Igando-Ikotun for the new APC government to correct the wrong done to Lagos State by the PDP-controlled federal centre. 

“So this may be a plus to us now that we have APC at the centre and the same party at the state, so that Lagos State government can now be accommodated. We can now have full allocations for these LCDAs,” he said.

The Executive Secretary who spoke to our correspondent shortly after inspecting some polling centres in his area during the governorship and House of Assembly elections on April 11, also denied the reports that there has been a gap between the LCDAs and the grassroots. “The reports are not true. I don’t see it like that because this local government and the state government have been managing what we have to develop the state in terms of infrastructure, education, roads, water and other things. LCDAs have tried, go and see our records,” he added.

“So, I don’t see the gap between the people and the LCDAs. The past governments of this state have been trying our best to make developments in our LCDAs”.

On some roads supposedly belonging to the local government which have been neglected for some years and that there are no good roads within LCDAs, Azeez explained that his administration and past ones have been able to fix some roads within the LCDA in Igando and Ikotun.

“For me here, we have been trying to fix our roads and making it motorable. Presently, in three months of our administration, we have repaired 107 roads in our LCDA, which is the role of the Council. We are to make life meaningful for the grassroots, which is one of our functions,” he quipped.

Within this period, he has been able to win the hearts of the rural dwellers, traditional rulers, market women, several unions and associations of traders in the area, and that he is ever ready to entertain their challenges.

“My secret of success is not far-fetched in the last three months. And it’s with the contribution and cooperation of the management team we have. They are the locomotive engine of the council, so, when I came in, we put heads together and discussed and as a good listener, I was able to excel,” he added.

“I was asking them about certain things and they cooperated with me. We never had any rancour or reasons to disagree on any issue. You know that when two or three people put heads together, they are bound to succeed.”

Azeez was highly optimistic that the All Progressives Congress was going to coast home with victory during the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the LCDA.

According to him, people were willing to return the same vote they did at the last presidential election, so, he definitely believed that people know their choice and they know what they want to do, and that is to vote for the right person to rule Lagos State. And commended the INEC for conducting  credible election.

However, the LCDA boss recognised that there were problems on ground, especially in the areas where the APC lost their seats to PDP and believed that election is not win it all affair. According to him, the party has learnt their lessons and are out to correct the errors in the next election.

“There are not many. Their number is just minute and out of 26, they won five while Accord Party won one. You see as politicians, we have to face challenges because it’s not a matter of winner takes all but anywhere we lose; we will buckle our belt so that in the next one it won’t happen”, he quipped.

“It may be due to some factors of grievances from the people around or ethnic differences or anything can cause it. But for us as politicians, APC, we don’t see it as a threat or loss but we still try it in the subsequent elections so that such mistake will not occur again”.  On the comment of the Oba of Lagos State concerning non-indigenes who go against his party wish, Azeez said, “At my own level, you know that we don’t have anything to say. We are watching them because what is paramount to us is to deliver our party in Lagos. So the strategy or whatever we can do to get people vote for APC is what we can do so that our party can excel and the continuity in the leadership of the party and its governance in the state are things paramount in our minds now.”

Alimosho has been the strong hold of APC over the years in Lagos State, and Ikotun and Igando are part of these areas where Azeez supervises as executive secretary.

“This is because, it is a party that has been ruling for 16 years in Lagos State that is the only state that has the strategy to source for funds and bring development to the state. So, the ruling party in Lagos State has done well to the generality of the populace in Lagos State and this party must continue,” Azeez stated.

It would be recalled that Hon. Wale Azeez, when swearing-in members of the caretaker committee for the LCDA on Tuesday, 6th January, 2015, at the council secretariat in Ikotun, he advised the caretaker committee members to be committed to ensuring that the people get the needed dividends of democracy even at their doorsteps.

“We have been called to serve hence we must not disappoint our leaders who deemed it fit to put us into these positions,” he said. He expressed appreciation to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their appointments assuring that he and his team will not disappoint them and the people of the council area. Azeez was the immediate past Secretary of the Igando Ikotun LCDA, before becoming the Executive Secretary.