28th June, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
For years, 13 rural communities in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria have been without the spark of light. Gross darkness envelops the communities. Successive governments had paid deaf ears to the cries of the downtrodden. Rural dwellers have painted gloomy pictures of suffering they had undergone for years as a result of absence of electricity.
Hope shone on the communities as the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode decided to bring governance to the grassroots. In his inaugural speech, Ambode said he would run an inclusive government, one that would give power to the rural communities to decide what they wanted and get government to executive the projects.
The Commissioning of the electrification projects in these remote communities was therefore a thing of joy for residents as they will have a feel of what electricity looks like. The communities are Fidiso, Elepete, Alakun, Abule-Panu Gbarada, Gbetu, Agbele, Odogbonle, Government Technical College, Odomola, Lowa/Haruna, Odo-Agba/Ofin-Ile, Ajumose in Agbede, and Oke-Ibujeun.
Chief Tajudeen Apena is a community leader at Elepete. An elated Apena was full of praise for government’s gesture to the area coming several years the community had cried for help. He praised Ambode for his steadfastness and for fulfilling his promises by giving back to the Community.
Apena assured that the entire community would ensure that the electrification projects were properly guarded from vandals, adding that they would not relent in giving necessary support to the present administration.
The rural electrification projects were just few of the numerous projects the current government has bequeathed on rural dwellers in the last two years. The Lagos State Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs is the arrowhead through which government contacts the locals.
Muslim Folami, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs said government was determined to ensure that the people of the State enjoyed the dividend of democracy. He said the transformers distributed for rural electrification were part of the celebration of Lagos at 50. “The electrification project is to articulate the concept of inclusive governance which was promised during the electioneering campaign. It is’ a system in which our policies, projects and programmes shall be driven by the needs of our communities’,’ he explained.
In 2015, Ambode came up with the idea of building 114 inner roads across councils in the state with two per council. By August 2016, 114 roads were ready in the various LGs and LCDAs of the state at the cost of over N17 billion. This represents a feat never to be achieved by any government of Lagos in just one year.
Recently, Folami reeled out the achievement of the ministry in the last two years of the administration. He was quick to mention that in its bid to improve the Infrastructural development of Ojodu- Berger area to ease the traffic congestion along the axis by the State Government, 77 shops comprising of lock-up shops, Kee- klamps and kiosks in Ojodu Retail Market were affected and compensation of ₦37 million paid to the shop owners. He added that the Centre for Rural Development (CERUD), an agency under the Ministry had acquired 13,765 hectares of land at Igbodu in Epe division of the State of which compensation of ₦11 million was paid by the State Government to three families.
“Five hectares was allocated for conservation of medicinal plants, and have been fully developed with infrastructural facilities at the Centre’s Administrative and research office complex. Another five hectares of land have been released for the permanent settlement of the military men in Igbodu community, the land had been cleared and ready for development,” he said.
To boost agriculture in rural areas, the Department of Community Agriculture collaborated with Bolous Enterprises Ltd for capacity building for fishermen and other Out Board Engine (OBE) operators on safe use and maintenance practices of the recommended 4-stroke OBE in the predominantly riverine Councils. The programme commenced at Amuwo-Odofin LGA on the 16th of March, 2017. According to Folami, one of the main objectives of this capacity building exercise was to ensure that OBE operators adopted best practices along food security value chain, saying that as at now, capacity of close to 300 fishermen and other OBE operators had been built.
According to Folami, another area of success was the planned upgrading of Isheri Vegetable Production Farm. He said the process for the upgrading of Isheri Vegetable Production Farm to a Greenhouse system for demonstration and youth training of production of exotic and high-value local vegetable had commenced with site identification and lay out. He said if completed, the facility would be used to train 1,114 youths at roughly 20 youths per Council on exotic and high-value vegetable production.
Before the end of the year, Folami hinted that the government planned to carry out improvement of market centres through the provision of the necessary facilities, such as toilet, clinics, fencing, lighting and crèche as well as carried out capacity training for the Political office holders at the Local Government level.
Folami added that the government planned the introduction of electronics payment system across the 57 LGs/LCDAs; introduction of electronics marriage registration/ administration and conduct of award programme for the best Local Government Areas in the State.
On community development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communications said it is an established fact that development could not take place without peace and harmony. “The establishment of a virile and vibrant system of community associations, has, over the years, enabled the government to partner with communities, sensitise them on its priorities and receive feedback on public policies,” he said.
He disclosed that the total number of Community Development Associations, CDAs across the state as at March 2017 was 3,400 up from 3,292 recorded last year. He said many of these CDAs held monthly meetings, address matters of security, conflict resolution, simple infrastructures such as grading of roads and construction of culverts. They tax themselves to ensure protection of lives and property.
Bamigbetan said the ministry, in line with United Nations Initiative celebrated the 2016 Community Day on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at the Police College Ground, Ikeja. He said the administration distributed three vehicles to the best three CDAs, among others.
“However, there are times when conflicts occur among CDAs are referred to the local government and scaled up to the state. In the past year, the Ministry intervened in no less than 27 such cases. Similarly, increasing cases of insecurity due to the activities of land grabbers, kidnappers and men of the underworld are routinely reported by the communities. These challenges have led to the upgrade of the neighbourhood Watch into the new Lagos State Safety Corps, an agency under the Ministry of Special duties to ensure intensive combat of insecurity and enable our citizens to live safely.
“Community engagement is taken seriously by the ministry. In the last one year, not less than 12 monthly interactive sessions were held. While six were rotated among the traditional divisions, six were held at the state secretariat. These sessions enabled the community leaders to have first-hand knowledge of the policy direction of the administration and offer contributions as appropriate. It has become an avenue for policy makers of ministries, departments and agencies to test the viability of their plans and programmes and the response of the populace,” he said.
He said in the last one year, several programmes executed included the integration of the CDAs into all government programmes, the handover of the 114 roads to the CDAs, handover of the management of the generators powering the streetlight of the road to the CDAs, among others.
“Just as the grassroots are engaged, the Ministry in the past one year, improved on the performance of the media segment of the communities. The Monthly Community Media Forum, comprising over 30 print, online and electronic media reporting the communities became a valuable platform for the mass communication of the programmes of the government.
“A notable landmark in this respect, is the advertising campaign of the achievements of the administration in the community media. This took to the nooks and crannies of Lagos State, riding on the shoulders of the local media, programmes such as the Light Up Lagos, 114 roads, Bridges, traffic decongestion works and the massive roll-out of security armaments to increase the resilience of Lagos as a megacity.
“With the focus on adding value and enhancing delivery of efficient communications, the Office of Communities & Communications also inaugurated the monthly meeting of Local Government Information Officers. This forum established basic equipment that must be provided for information offices of LGA and LCDA and engaged sole administrators and Heads of Administration to ensure faithful execution.
Other projects successfully executed include social media services such as Facebook and Twitter to sensitise more residents using mobile platforms and receive complaints, the re-definition of information officers as Information & Complaints officers and the training of information officers in the management of modern mass communications,” he said.