Agege Local Government, one of the densely populated suburbs of Lagos State, is seeing a facelift following the emergence of Abdul Ganiyu Vinod Obasa as Chairman about seven months ago. In an interview with BusinessDay's Wasiu Alli, Obasa said he is betting on infrastructure upgrades, better security, data collection and various subsidies to bridge the disparity between residents and lift more people out of poverty. Part:
It has been less than a year since you assumed the role of Chairman of Ege Local Government. As a young person under 35, what has the experience been like?
Coming from the private sector to the public sector is always very different. It has been a very good experience since coming here. One of the brightest and most diligent, hard-working people I have met here in the local government system.
We are all working together as a team to ensure that we move the community forward. We are trying very hard to ensure that all the different areas are dealt with and that we are able to bring about change in every center that comes under our purview in local government. We are here to bring the process of government to the grassroots level. We are here to make life easier.
When I came into local government, my mindset was to improve the overall quality of life of our residents. I see myself more or less providing a service to the residents who live here. We can't do everything as we want in the beginning, but they need to see that there is a plan and we are building the blocks for what we are trying to accomplish.
People can see what we have been doing in the last 6, 7, 8 months. They can see that we have a plan and we are following it to the letter.
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What were the needs of the Agege residents before your emergence and to what extent have you been able to fulfill them?
For us within this community, this is a place where I have spent 30 years of my life. I understand the nuances. One of the first things was the environment. It was about throwing garbage on the road. Our roads were dirty. This is the negative perception people have about Edges. This was something we needed to change. We have accomplished a lot in that short time. If you go to Alpha Nala Capital Road, the middle was full of filth. Now we have grass and trees right in the middle. It looks beautiful now. If you go to Oba Ogbunji, on the right and left side, there used to be a place where there were just mechanics, and they dropped shit. Now it is green; The walls are completely painted from Pensinema to the late Oba Ogbunji.
We are solving the drainage problem. There are five major areas where there is no drainage. If you go to Kadiri Street or Bode Thomas Street, or if you go to Okunola, these are places where we have construction now, and they are now providing drainage in those places. We are now cleaning our internal roads. We have deployed around 250-300 sanitation workers to clean our internal roads. Around 7 am to 8 pm, you can see that they have been cleaned on a day-to-day basis. We have also just purchased a tipper which will help us transport dirt from the drainage to the dump site.
What infrastructure projects have you undertaken so far and how do you ensure sustainability?
During my stay here, in 7 months, we have built 12 roads. We have done Ajakaye, Eletana, Adegbola, Imam Ojoku and Alowonle. Many of these roads connect internal roads and make life easier for the people. In terms of education, we renovated 17 school blocks in the local government. If you go to KK Nursery and Primary School, Isa Williams, Dopemu Salvation Army, or Ifeoluwa Nursery and Primary School, you see our influence there.
Education is an important part. We are recruiting 50 teachers in the month of April to further strengthen the quality of education in our nursery and primary schools. We are setting up ICT rooms in our schools. We are building a library. If it's only an hour a week, they have to read. We have now created two seven-a-side pitches. One is in KK Nursery and Primary School and the other is in Dopemu Nursery and Primary School. This year, we have seven roads that we are going to start, especially in the Ward D area in Moricaz.
Security remains a major concern. What measures are you taking to solve this problem?
We are the only local government that has its own local security organisation. We call the crime fighters of every era 'Parmole'. They roam the community and gather intelligence. We have installed around 600 street lights. There are street lights on all major roads in and out of this community. All the new roads we built have street lights. Before the end of the month, we have CCTVs in strategic areas also. About 25 will be installed in high-risk areas within this community.
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Drug abuse has become a threat, especially among the youth. What methods does your administration have to stop this?
We are working with NDLEA. We are making sure they are implemented. We are big on youth inclusion and youth empowerment. We have upgraded our skill acquisition centres. There is space for fashion design, beauty, leather working, music studios and podcast studios. We have trained around 100 youth in film production and cinematography. The best 25 will go and be inducted into the Kunle Afolayan Film Academy.
We have a 60-computer room center where you can learn software skills. There is a place for drones and drone simulation. We have space for phone repair and gadget assembly.
We have just signed with the Lagos Development Trust Fund for N180 million at a rate of 9% per annum to fund small and medium enterprises within this community. You can get up to N1 million. Money keeps moving around the community.
We have N100 million in the overall economy that we started with. We distributed N30 million as grants to 1,000 youths whom we trained in various skills.
You presented resident card. What do you want to achieve from this?
The last census was conducted in 2006. What is data? How do you plan as a government? We have a food subsidy program that we do on a monthly basis. Approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people are involved in this. Why would we allow people who are not in that social class to come and enjoy it? There should be systems in place to separate those who need to enjoy it from those who need it. We have health shoes that we're bringing to our community. We have deployed 10 now. You can check your blood pressure and blood sugar, treat malaria and buy subsidized medicine.
If you have the card, once you tap it, it brings up the update for you. Enjoy the service. We are going to build two new hospitals this year. They will be modern health complexes. One will be privatized. One will be run as a primary health centre. Residents can get cheaper, discounted rates if they fall within a certain cadre. From a security point of view, shouldn't we know the people who live on a certain street and house within our community? It serves as a way of providing security architecture and intelligence to the community.
You were recently elected as the Vice President of Youth Elected Local Officials across Africa. How do you want to take advantage of this continental access for Edges residents?
I was elected Chairman by the Youth Elected Local Officials in the United Cities and Local Governments in West Africa. It was a feat that was very exciting. Its aim is to create a network of young African leaders, leaders who will lead the continent in the years to come. We discussed empowerment, skill acquisition and creative economy.
One of my plans is to host West Africa's young elected local officials in Lagos next year to discuss ways to move our region forward.
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What permanent measures have been taken to protect this infrastructure?
We have told the residents that the projects are theirs. you live here. You own it. Take charge of it. Local government engineering departments have a budget for maintenance on a monthly basis. If a screw gets loose or a door handle is broken, engineers immediately go there and solve those problems. We are working with NSCDC in all the government infrastructure we are building.
How has the Bola Tinubu-led Renewed Hope Agenda affected local government activities?
The Renewed Hope Agenda is something I buy into 100%. ASUU strikes are a thing of the past. Our tax-to-GDP ratio used to be six or seven percent. New tax laws were made. We were in a country where black market spot rates were going up and down. But now, it is coming to a close. These are massive economic reforms. Once you get your fundamentals right, a multiplier effect occurs. The President is capable of doing a lot. But criticism is part of governance.