Ever since the last local government council elections in Lagos State, there has been an obvious intensification of competition among the Chairmen and Councillors of Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas in the state to outperform each other and deliver concrete democratic gains to their people.
In Ikeja Local Government, the Chairman is popularly known at the grassroots by the acronym, AKOD. This stands for his full name, comrade Akeem, Olalekan Dauda. I used to know him as an executive assistant to the then Commissioner of Youth and Sports Development and later Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Honourable (now Senator) Opeyemi Bamidele, at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa. He was quietly efficient, industrious, focused, humble and accessible - a great asset to his boss.
After his assumption of office as Chairman of the very important local government, the feedback across his constituency is that he remains approachable, modest, as well as methodical and meticulous in the implementation of his I.K.E.J.A. Agenda, which encompasses Infrastructure, Knowledge, Empowerment, Justice, Enterprise and Advancement. Some of the highlights of his first 100 days in office include the ongoing construction of Shanu Street to improve infrastructure and accessibility, reconstruction of Aiyemojuba Street to enhance intra-community mobility, rehabilitation of Morenike Street to improve its drainage and enhance smoother mobility and the construction of a motorable bridge linking Onipetesi and Onilekere communities.
In addition to the renovation of Agidingbi Primary School to provide a conducive learning environment for pupils and teachers, the local government has also procured a landed property at Isale Awori for the construction of a new Primary Health Care Centre to improve health care at the grassroots. In the Back-to-School Programme organised by the local government council, primary school pupils and junior secondary school students in public schools benefited from learning materials, uniforms and essential school items. The local government participated actively in the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Series organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance to facilitate access of small and medium-scale businesses to finance and professional expertise.
AKOD has also launched initiatives to boost revenue generation, promote sports among youths, partner with security agencies and encourage participatory governance through regular interactions with traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, among other stakeholders. His hitting the ground running is no surprise, as AKOD knows Ikeja Local Government like the palm of his hand. From 2006 to 2014, he was a Ward Chairman of the ACN/APC in Ikeja LG; he served as a Returning Officer in multiple elections in the local government and rose to become Secretary to Ikeja Local Government in 2017. For Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda and Ikeja LG, the morning is an indication of the bright days ahead.