By Open Letter To Chairman Of Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDA By Awosanya Abiodun
I am confused on how to address you. While I see some people addressing you as a comrade, just like the one we had in Edo, some people address you as Honorable. Some people even do away with the two tittles aforementioned, and go for a “Mr.” I will prefer to address you as Mr. Chairman. This is because I never knew or met you before the campaign period of the last Local Council Development Area election which ushered you in as the chairman, Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (IBLCDA). I want to formally say Congratulations sir. If you are opportune to read this letter, it includes thoughts, critiques, critic, and recommendations on a way forward on the development of our dear LCDA.
First and foremost, I will like to commend your agility and efforts on mini projects you have embarked on since your inauguration, together with other legislatives. In addition, the recent Stakeholders meeting you organised is a marvelous one as it was the first ever in the history of political administrations in Igbogbo-Baiyeku LCDA, where you made known to the people your programs, plans and policies. Also, you made it a platform where stakeholders within the jurisdiction of the LCDA came out to express their minds on their needs and expectations from your administration. Please keep the fires burning. I was there, and it was impressive.
Mr. Chairman Sir, having appreciated your positive gestures toward the LCDA, without any bigotry, development in Igbogbo-Baiyeku LCDA should be made sacrosanct. Most leaders get confused in the process of building development. As far as I know, development has indices, and yardsticks with which it is measured. These yardsticks are relative by society and ideas of leaders. While the former depends on the state of mind and enlightenment of the people, the latter depends on the quality of ideas put forward by those leaders. Failure to define the development patterns would result to two major problems. First, your developmental policies would fail to measure what they are supposed to. Second, because the policies are not measuring what they are supposed to, majority of the people will negatively get affected, and if they do, it will appear to you and other legislatives that your best as a leader is not appreciated. In other words, no improvement would be made without right policies.
Furthermore, a crucial component of development includes growth. The reason of being crucial is because even if efforts are being made to fix other areas including roads, health, and security, the human capacity and capability you fail to build will never make them work. Do not let people mislead you. Of course, they might be confused, but do not be confused. You have all powers within your reach to determine the fate of economic levels of traders and small scale business owner in Igbogbo, even though laws and policies made at the central and state supersede.
Mr. Chairman Sir, I will implore you to build a strong economic team. In it, endeavor to incorporate those people who are scared to lose their integrity and image. These people could only be academics and maybe technocrats, but definitely not politicians. This team will be responsible for building revenue generation policies and program in a unique way. This is not to say you should do away with your “Revenue team”, but this economic team will build a program for the revenue team to follow. It will fail to be a business as usual if this is done. Inability to apply this technique made the past administration failed woefully. Politicians were fixed in majority of positions for compensations. This will continue to cause harm on developmental process.
For economic development to surface, there are three areas that must be catered for as fast as possible. Two of which are of the view of Nwokocha (2006), and the remaining one is taken cognizance of because it is unique to our geographical area. If these areas are dealt with, it will be easier for development to occur. These factors are namely; good roads, security and traffic management. While you have little influence on the first one, the other two can be engineered by your office without itch. As for the road, I am conscious of the fact that the state government is intervening on this area. Still, you have a lot to do in the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads within the LCDA.
On security, it is very obvious to the blind that no business entrepreneur would invest in a place where there exists insecurity. I am also cognizant of your effort in beefing up the security in Igbogbo and its environs. If you relent on its sustenance, your efforts cum its end result will equal to zero. The third one is traffic management and control. You might be surprised why this really matters. Well, you will agree with me that there are some areas within the LCDA that attract more vehicular movement. Poor management of traffic situation will slow down economic activities. It will further mar the movementof people going in and out “through” Igbogbo for their daily business. Thus, concentration on this area is very germane. You need the supports of the traffic agents, not federal road safety corps on this. Mr. Chairman, nobody was able to convince me at the Stakeholders meeting why traffic officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were not invited, still you gave a marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) platform to educate and enlighten people. I hardly see the officials of FRSC in Igbogbo, while LASTMA officials are found almost at every strategic areas. Up till this moment, I still wonder why those safety jackets were distributed to pupils on that fateful. You should have invited traffic officers to educate them. LASTMA has a department for educating the pupils.
Mr. Chairman Sir, if you want to achieve your mission on societal and economic development in IBLCDA, please kindly place more emphasis on the out-of-school youth, traders, transporters and students. These set of people mentioned above make societal development easier to take place. Make policy that favors them more. If focus is placed on growth, development is inevitable. If I should dwell more on each of these aforementioned, you might get bored but the fact remains that if more concentrations are not put on them, your efforts might not be felt directly by them.
As a matter of fact, they constitute higher percentage of whom you governed.
In summary, in the process of making societal development a priority, growth should be focused on. What do I mean? Equip the vulnerable people around you. It is unfortunate that the out-of-school youth are now vulnerable. They are opened to engage in social vices. Idle hand is a devil workshop. Focus on children. Do not be swayed by those selfish and greedy politicians around you who are only keen to launder your money. Beef up security. Support the traffic agents to keep the road safe from impediments. And finally, pray fervently.
Thank you.
Awosanya Abiodun Rauf writes from Ikorodu, Lagos via [email protected]
