The Chairman, Eminent Persons of Ikorodu Division, R.O. Shoderu, has clamoured for equity in the sharing of Lagos State resources in line with the IBILE system created by the state government.
Shoderu, while speaking at the 2024 General Assembly of the EPID held at Sir Michael Onafowokan Hall, Ikorodu Town Hall, Ikorodu, on Monday, said the liaison council met with members of the Governor’s Advisory Council from the division to champion the implementation of the IBILE system of sharing political appointments, resources and citing infrastructure in the state.
He said, “The liaison council of the EPID met with members of the Governor’s Advisory Council from the division to champion the implementation of the IBILE system of sharing political appointments, resources and citing of infrastructure in the state.
“At the meeting, we were directed to channel our agenda directly to the governor. This culminated in the planned courtesy visit to the Governor. The liaison council identified the deteriorating infrastructure and slow pace of work on the rehabilitation of some roads in the division which include Igbogbo-Baiyeku Road, Igbogbo-Ginti-Ijede Road and Agric-Isawo Road.
“In this regard, letters have been written to the governor with copies to the Special Adviser to the Governor for works and the Deputy Governor for their information on the hardship residents of the division pass through and urge them to make the contractors on site speed up their efforts.”
Shoderu said concerns were raised on the indiscriminate building of markets and shopping complexes along the Ojota-Ketu-Mile 12 axis by the local government councils in that area, noting that it might choke the Lagos-Ikorodu Road in future.
“As a result of this concern, a letter was written to the Hon. Commissioner for Works while the other relevant arms of government in the state were also copied,” he added.
The chairman also informed the gathering of the need for corporate bodies to commit a certain percentage of their income to the development of their host communities.
The keynote speaker, Prof Abisogun Leigh, in his address, said one year after the creation of the state and the constitution of the second executive council, an urgent assignment for that cabinet was the division of the state into five administrative divisions, including, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Epe.
He added, “Under Col. Mobolaji Johnson’s governorship, the third and the fourth executive councils were formed to reflect the steady growth in the complexity of issues confronting the nascent state and efforts to ensure that the state was administratively consolidated while the strategic plans for the economic, social, human, cultural, educational and overall development were being formulated.
“Within the first year of the state, the military governor with his advisers and commissioners were proactive, visionary and wise enough to give the issues of fairness and equity in managing the affairs of the state the top priority they deserved.
“They came up with a simple but brilliant, appealing and soothing acronym called IBILE which was derived by combining the first letter in the name of each of the five divisions of the state. That decision was intentional and signified their resolve to manage the five divisions with fairness and equity to all concerned.”
He stated, “Let me seize the opportunity of the presence of the Honourable Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly in our midst to inform him and this august gathering that the local content bill will be generated from the communiqué drawn at the end of today’s general assembly to legislate on the need for corporate bodies to commit a certain percentage of their income to the development of their host communities.
“The bill will be passed through the two (2) State House of Assembly members from the Division for admission into the bill for Lagos State. I therefore on behalf of EPID crave your indulgence for an expeditious passage of the bill whenever it arrives your chamber.”
