As the year continues to run down, signaling an end to a remarkable administrative era for Ayoola Fatai Adekunle as executive chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, testimonies and feedback of empowerment programs organized by his administration may have been less than satisfactory in some quarters of the general public who felt the empowerment package were mainly shared among members of the All Progressives Congress {APC} in the local government. And like a dying father whose last wish was to make amend among his kinsmen, Ayoola has brought together notable stakeholders in the local government, their primary responsibility among others would be to ensure that the two ‘Mega Empowerment Programs’ remaining by the Ayoola’s administration should reach doorsteps of every resident in Ajegunle, writes Fakunle Sheriff Ekundayo
The decision by the Ayoola Fatai Adekunle’s administration in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government to constitute a team of notable personalities who are mainly stakeholders in the local government, and would be responsible for the successful coordination of empowerment program and welfare package for residents in Ajegunle for 2024 and 2025 is quite commendable, and strategic as a memorable goodbye by the number one citizen in the local government by July 2025.
The meeting which was held on Wednesday May 22, 2024 in the office of the executive chairman Ayoola, had in attendance respectable Christian cleric Bishop Mathew Omodiagbe, traditional ruler Ba’ale Saheed Adesegun Fakunle, Baba Oja of Alayabiagba Ultra-Modern Market Chief Lateef Nda, All Progressives Congress {APC} Ajeromi-Ifelodun party chairman Chief Sam Adeyemi, with Alhaji Gbenga Bakare General secretary of APC in the local government, Mr. Qudus Ward A chairman Ajif APC, Alhaji Ismaila Sanni chairman Ajeromi-Ifelodun Community Development Committee {CDC}, who was represented by one of the CDC Executives, Isaac Moses Senior Special Adviser on Public Health to the executive chairman, McAnthony Anaelechukwu Director General of Sports to the executive chairman, Chief Lucky Uduikhue Vice-chairman Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, Alhaji Lukmon Jimoh Secretary to Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, Mr-Ifeanyi Lesley Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, Mrs Aina a woman leader in APC, Alhaji Adeniji chaiman of Lagos State Council of Tradesmen andArtisans {LACOSTA} in Ajeromi-Ifelodun chapter, representatives of management team in Ajeromi-Ifelodun led by Mrs Yemisi Razak, and Mrs Alale Olamide Idowu Head of Department for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, among others in attendance.
For over six years of the Ayoola’s administration in Ajegunle, more than five thousand residents, mainly youths have been empowered in various financially enabled programs or the other.
These empowerment programs commenced in 2017 with the distribution of N1 million worth of Lontor products to ten {10} successful business owners, and N100,000.00 worth of Lontor products to fifty {50} youths. Aside from this, some selected mothers in the local government were engaged in a two-day program on ‘Financial Literacy’ which was organized by the Ayoola’s administration through the office of the Vice-chairman Lucky Udhuikue.
Ever since then, the trend to financially empower residents of the local government has improved with the provision of basic skills and trade empowerment tools, such as refrigerators, hair dryers, grinding machines, sewing machines, tricycles, motorcycles, and presentation of over ten patrol vans and minivans to security agencies in the local government, among other equipment for benefit of residents in the local government.
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 changed the administrative responsiveness of the Ayoola’s administration; judging from the N100,000.00 business grants that were presented to entrepreneurs every month. This also paved the way for the presentation of food relief packs to over 500 homes during the deadly pandemic.
Six years and still counting, the feedback and reflections among some residents have shown that the welfare package is yet to go around. This revelation despite the huge amounts that were expended for the attainment of this various mega empowerment, has become a source of concern for the Ayoola’s administration, prompting the constitution of major stakeholders in the local government for execution of this year’s empowerment program.
Among the various challenges highlighted during the brainstorming session by the stakeholders included tales of sabotage, multiple application as beneficiaries, undue favouritism, the attitude of entitlement among some politicians who are loyal to the ruling party, and the challenges of empowering non-party members who are apolitical to the administrative style of the Ayoola’s government in the grassroots.
In a bid to ensure that some of these challenges were nipped in the bud, different sectors were identified for empowerment. They included artisans, the elderly, women/widows, youths and sports, the religious sector, traditional rulers, physically challenged, market association, political sector {Leaders and Youths}, and CDAs and CDC.
It was agreed that these sectors identified above arguably should be sufficient to spread empowerment and welfare packages of the Ayoola’s administration across the board. That way, dividends of democracy will get to the doorsteps of the masses in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government.
Still on the spread of these benefits and welfare packages for the masses, the Ayoola’s administration is said to be ready for the all-important women’s conference billed for July 2, 2024, in the local government. The event among other packages lined up includes six-month medical benefits for women in the local government; it will cover medical expenses of some surgical operations undertaken by beneficiary women in the local government. Some of the designated hospitals for this medical package include Ajeromi General Hospital, Faleti Hospital, and Alisa Gold among other designated hospitals. Furthermore, these women shall pay a sum of N1,000.00 {One thousand naira} monthly, to cover their medical expenses at these designated hospitals from the year 2025!
Ayoola Fatai Adekunle also announced to the stakeholders at the meeting that his administration was going to present some newly acquired patrol vans to security agencies within the local government in a few weeks to come.
And while these constitute part of the empowerment programs and laudable welfare packages for residents in communities across the local government by the Ayoola’s administration, this initiative should not be fraught with favouritsm and sabotage by those saddled with the responsibilities.
The conclusion of the meeting on Wednesday posited that a ‘Monitoring and Evaluation’ committee be set up among the stakeholders. This way the council chairman Ayoola, can get adequate feedback among residents in the local government.
Also, the idea of monetizing these welfare packages was mooted. It gave room for Ayoola and the stakeholders in attendance to juxtapose the merits, and obvious disadvantages associated with such a gesture.
The endpoint of this move is focusing on the need for adequate representation of residents across communities in the local government, that would be among beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme and welfare packages organised by the outgoing council chairman Ayoola Fatai Adekunle from the second quarter of the year 2024.
This may be the genesis of a beautiful end to the Cinderella story of Ayoola Fatai Adekunle as the executive chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, judging from the ‘anticipated’ impact of this move. It is believed that this shall form part of his administrative legacies in local government, and as it stands, this last push by his administration on empowerment scheme and welfare package is poised to make dividends of democracy get to the doorsteps of the masses in Ajegunle!
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