The Lagos State Technical facilitator on polio immunization,Mrs. Margret  Esan said the programme is yielding the desirable result as parents are willing to immunize their children. “As a matter of fact, the officials and staff are working seriously to get the children of the community immunized” .

Mrs Bisi Thomas, Supervisor for Health and Medical service Yaba LCDA said, ” parents should feel more concern by going out to immunize their children to end the virus in our community.”  She said the exercise is in place in every nook and crannies of the LCDA and urged  parents, stakeholders to jointly mobilize residents in the community to immunized their children.

To demonstrate this, he promised each sweeper a mobile handset for effective communication amongst them. The chairman promised enough working tools for the discharge of their duties and payment of their salary directly to the bank as at when due. He also reiterated his commitment to inject more hands into the scheme.

Mrs  Jinadu, the HOD Agric advised the sweepers to always be at their duty posts and shun any acts of laziness. She promised to have a close monitoring team to monitor the activities of the sweepers.

Present at the interactive session were the HOD Agric and Rural development, Mrs  Jinadu, Council environmental officer, Mr Kaffo, Super for works, Alhaji Alade Grillo and Hon. Abel Enikanologbon, Super for Women Affairs and poverty Alleviation.

The committee chairman, Hon Moshood Olanrewaju Oshun informed the gathering that the purpose of the visit was more of fact finding on the activities of the local government in the deliverance of dividend of democracy to the teeming populace since the inception of the administration.  He went further to say the house had been beaming its search light on the activities of the elected council chairmen to know how far they had gone in the implementation of their electioneering promises and the areas needed to be improved upon. While calling for comments, he advised that the people should be objective in their contributions and presentations to the committee.

In their response, the representative of tradition rulers, CDC, Market Association expressed their satisfaction on the performance of the chairman so far. They however pointed out some areas in which they wanted the chairman to look into.  Such as dredging of Iwaya canal and upgrading of Iwaya PHC into mini general hospital among others.

Other members of house committee on local government  and chieftaincy affairs present at the occasion were Hon. Muyiwa Jimoh (vice-chairman of the committee), Hon. Hammed Omisore, Hon. Segun Olulade, Hon Suru Avoseh among others. Also present were members of the legislative arm, council officials and other dignitaries.

 Areas where complaints are expected include blocked drainages, broken water pipes, broken Culverts and Security matters. Also, youths seeking employment can submit their CVs through this means. She further said this will also help the committee to adequately have access to on the spot information on happenings within the LCDA.

The E-mail addresses are:- yabalcdacomplaint2@yahoo.co.uk and  yabalcdajobcreation2@yahoo.co.uk.

No sooner had the present Executive assumed office than they sprang into action and within the 100 days in office,  renovation work is in progress at All Saint’s primary school, Yaba.

The essence, according to the Chairman is to create a peaceful and conducive learning environment for Pupils in Primary Schools within the LCDA and to fulfil his promise of continued Transformation in Yaba. The chairman who was on the spot assessment of the Project was impressed at the level of work done so far.

At Sabo Bus stop, the Unity Bank PLC Mast fell across the Commercial Avenue Road, effectively blocking Traffic. Likewise at Cooperative Bus Stop, Herbert Macaulay Street Adekunle, a giant Advert Billboard was Up-rooted falling on the Adekunle Police Station make Shift Stalls. All across Yaba Community, roofs were blown off, Electric poles up-rooted and Trees fell across roofs, Fence and Roads. More so, a big Tree fell in Ori Oke Primary Health Centre destroying Generator room.

A team of Council officials led by the Vice-Chairman, Hon Bola Lawal-Olumegbon with the Council Manager, Mr Tunde Ojikutu among others make a tour round the LCDA to see things for themselves.

The chairman of the CDC, Apostle J. O. Ojo who was accompanied by members of his Executive Committee, said that there was no word that could be best used to describe the chairman than a charismatic and great achiever.’ Your administration has really brought face lift and development to Yaba and we are proud to be part of the success, ’he concluded.

                                                 

PR O T O C O L S!

Today marks the 100^th day in the second tenure of this administration. The achievements of our first tenure were well celebrated but our  etermination is to do better this time around. We are determined to prove the belief wrong that second tenures are not always as good as the first. We are set to break our own records which we set in the first tenure.

Within the last 100 days, we have already swung into action. Our slogan is ‘not business as usual but business unusual’. First, we have solved the perennial power outages within the secretariat and its attendant problems. The old council generator is about twenty years old. We have replaced it with a 350KVA cabin, super-silent Mikano generator. The new generator has been installed and it is fully operational.

As we speak, the whole Council secretariat has been connected to the internet. Configured systems in offices within the council secretariat can have access to internet facilities. The world has become a global village and we are in the age of Information – Technology. Our officers can now gather information from across the globe. As you already know, our web site www.yaba gov.org is functional. The Yaba LCDA has arrived in the computer age.

On road maintenance, we have already rehabilitated some roads. The roads we have so far touched include Makoko Road, Church Street, Alara / Kofoworola Street, Mc-Neil, Olonade Street, Faneye Street, Olatunde Street, Olayinka Street and Borno way. It is our determination to keep all our roads potholes free.

In education, work is on- going in the rehabilitation of two blocks of classrooms in All Saints Primary School, Yaba. Rehabilitation of schools is a cardinal focus of our administration in our second term tenure.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a saying that: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others”. This saying by Martin Luther King (Jr.) summarizes the reason for today’s programme of “Support for the Aged”.

It beams a torch on why we are all here gathered. There is a category of citizens of this country which this government believes we are not doing enough for. These are the senior citizens of our society: the elderly ones. There is a compelling need for us to rally round the old people around us. Men and women who have in the past enjoyed the refreshing benefits of youthfulness: jumping and prancing about like we do now.

Today, they may be dogged by the feebleness and frailty that come with age and longevity. Some may even come with dim eyes. But, surely they have one way or the other sacrificed their vigour, agility and youthfulness on the altar of developing our nation. For those we have chosen for this scheme, this is a positive pay-back time.  Our elders are our link with the past. And, if you forget the past, you can never have a grip of the present. Without linking the past with the  present, you cannot have a smooth-sail into the future.

Our elders are our pot of ethics; a repository of wisdom. The custodian of our culture and, our culture teaches us to regard, respect, adore and care for our elders. In the days of yore, our society used to be communal in nature, with everybody being his or her brother’s keeper. Old people were given their due care. Today, that communal life is dying off.

In developed clime, age is still accorded the necessary respect and right of place which is why consultancy jobs are usually reserved for retirees. They believe that age comes with wisdom, experience and expertise. However, they have their problems in abandoning their old one in ‘old
people’s homes’.

Today, in Nigeria, we read daily about old people languishing in penury faced with threats of ill health and death, abandoned by folks and government. We read about retirees dropping dead while attempting to collect pension payments which may not be up to N5,000.00 (Five Thousand Naira Only). A lot of our old men and women have been forced to regard their years of sweat and toil working for government
as a waste.

Naturally, the objective of any responsive and responsible government should include raising the living standard of its citizens. Maslow, a motivation theorist, talked about 5 levels of human needs which are psychological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization needs. The basic and most necessary of them, according to him are the psychological needs such as food, clothing and shelter. The Yorubas also say ‘ bi ebi
ba ti kuro ninu ise, ise buse’.

This intervention is this government’s contribution to ‘keeping body and soul together’ by the beneficiaries. It is our ‘widow’s mite’ towards adding value to their lives. It is a poverty-alleviation scheme. Towards this, we have carefully and painstakingly selected 100 elderly people who will receive a sum of N10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira Only) monthly throughout the life of this administration. Therefore, a sum of N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira Only) will be given out today. And, to ensure they get paid early and without delay, we have made the deduction of the N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira Only) every month a first-charge affair.

This is our contribution towards prolonging the lifespan of these senior citizens. It is a commitment we have made and we are resolved to go the whole hog. We strongly believe in the words of Winston Churchill that “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give”.  

Thank you and God bless. Remain blessed always.

 EKO O NI BAJE O.

In his speech at the occasion, the Chairman, Hon AbdulRaheem Olajide Jimoh was full of praise to Almighty God for making the day a reality. He reiterated the achievements of the administration in the first 100 days in office as rehabilitation of roads within the LCDA, provision of internet facility within the council secretariat which has made it possible for council staff to have access to the internet. Others include provision of 350KVA cabin super- silent Mikano Generator to put an end to the problem of power outages within the council secretariat and renovation of All saint’s Primary School to mention but a few.

According to the chairman, there was a category of citizens of this country which government was not doing enough for; this set of people he described as the senior citizens of our nation; the elderly ones. His words:They have one way or the other sacrificed their vigour, agility and youthfulness towards the development of this great nation. Such people need not to be forgotten. They are our pot of ethics, a repository of wisdom and custodian of our culture.

The Executive Chairman averred that any responsive and responsible government should cater for such category of people by meeting their psychological needs. He added that his government had therefore painstakingly and carefully selected 100 elderly people who will receive N10, 000.00 monthly throughout the lifespan of the administration describing the gesture as his little way of contributing to the standard of living of these aged people and prolonging their lifespan. The occasion was also used to present Crutches, Wheel Chairs, Walking sticks to the elderly  ones.

At the event were the A C N party chieftains, Alhaji Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi, Hon Olawale Oshun and Hon. Adetayo Oyemade. Others include Chief Okusanya, Hon. Bola John; Leader of the Legislative arm and other members of the Legislature. The vice chairman, Hon. Bola Lawal- Olumegbon, council Manager, Alhaji Tunde Ojikutu and members of the management team, members of the Public and party supporters.

                                                                       

 PROTOCOLS!

Glory be to god Almighty who makes everything perfect in His own time.

This is another momentous occasion in the history of this Local Council as we gather to inaugurate the Executive Arm of the Council by swearing in the Supervisors and Special Advisers.

The Executive Council is the highest decision making body of the Council and it is responsible for policy formulation to move the Council forward. The success or otherwise of any Local Government Administration depends largely on the focus and commitment of the Executive Committee members.

It is for this reason that leaders of our great Party have taken the pains to select men and women of proven integrity to form this Executive Council.

I want to assure our people that the achievement of the last administration is just a stepping stone to greater things to come. The incoming Executive Council is determined to change the face of Yaba LCDA for the better. From now on it is no longer business as usual but business unusual.

According to Margret Meade,’’ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world’’. At our own Local level, that is what we are set to do To the members of the incoming Executive Council, I say welcome on board. You have been selected from among the people to serve them. The people expect your commitment, dedication and selflessness. Respect is not demanded, it is earned.

You are bringing into the Executive Council individual talents, different experiences and diverse abilities. All these must be well blended together to forge a common front, a team with a common goal – service to our people.

Andre Carnegie wrote, Teamwork is the ability  to work together towards a common vision. It is the ability to direct individual accomplishment towards organisational objects. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. We must work together as a team to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.

Yaba  ocal Council this second term would focus mainly on Five cardinal programmes,

- Environmental and Infrastructural facilities

- Improvement on Primary Education

- Improvement on Health facilities

- Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation

- Security of lives and property

Ladies and Gentlemen, if there was an area in which we made an impact in the last dispensation, it was in the area of revenue generation. When came in in 2008, the highest  annual IGR was N24million. At the end of the tenure in 2011, our IGR was close to N200milion. Under this dispensation, we are determined to do even better. We know that the more money accrues into the coffers of the council, the more we can do for the people.

It is for this reason that we have decided to expand our revenue base. Today, we shall inaugurate Yaba Property and  investment Ventures members. The ventures shall launch Yaba LCDA in the Business era. It is the season for diversification. This committee is made up of members with astute business senses. They shall be saddled with the responsibility of advising the council on viable business  ventures and property into which we can invest for profit. Another advantage of this Property and Investment ventures is that it will create job opportunities for our youths. Unemployment among our youths will be drastically reduced.

It is our determination to serve our people better. We have decided to bring our  Government closer still to the people. This will allow us to constantly feel the purse of the people and to know the areas of their needs. Today, we shall also inaugurate the complaints and job Creation Centre.

In years gone by, the Complaint Centre was an important office in the old local government system. For some reasons, it was scrapped. But in our determination to bring governance closer to the people, we have decided to resuscitate the Complaint and job Creation Centre in Yaba Local Council. The office will be open daily to take complaints from general public.

Such complaints would be documented and passed over to relevant departments for prompt action. Complaints about blocked drainages, broken water pipes, damaged roads, environmental abuses or even security concerns should be reported for prompt attention.

The office will also act as a job creation Centre where our qualified youths could submit their curriculum vitae and application letters. Job openings would be filled from the complied lists as such openings arise.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are determined to leave a lasting legacy. With the help of God and the co-operation of you all, we shall all enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Thank you all for coming. God bless you.

EKO O NI BAJE O!!!.