The Chairman of Ibadan North West Local Government in Oyo State, Hon. Rahmon Olanrewaju Adepoju was a guest of Olayinka Agboola on Splash 105.5FM, Radio Show, Parrot Xtra/Ayekooto on Radio recently. During the interaction, he spoke about the effort of his government in providing dividends of democracy to his constituents among many salient issues… Excerpts:
Can you tell us why you decided to join politics despite your religious background?
Well, I give thanks to the Almighty God. The point is that if we all neglect politics because of our religious beliefs, people who are not qualified will continue to rule us, and things will continue to get worse. This is the reason why people like us must not abandon politics.
How have you been coping in your local government, Ibadan North-West in these days of paucity of funds?
Well, God has been in control and we also have a very pragmatic leader in our Governor, Engineer ‘Seyi Makinde. You see, recently, I was listening to an interview on the radio when the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission was speaking about the just concluded strike by Oyo’s civil servants and the reasons why the local government workers were not affected by the strike. I will say it here that all our local government workers are receiving their wages, salaries and other stipends as at when due and this as a result of the benevolence of the governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde who is worker-friendly. We are moving forward in all things despite the current challenges facing the country.
Can you briefly tell us your achievements since you got into office some three years ago?
Let me start from the issue of hooliganism. We all know that Ibadan is a very big city and through the effort of the governor, he established Amotekun at the state level and he charged all the council chairmen to take care of their immediate environment by providing means in which insecurity will be reduced to the minimum in our local government areas.
Because of the charge from the governor, the chairmen came up with the idea of having a local security outfit/vigilantes in each of our local government areas to curb the activities of hooligans and other issues of insecurity. In my local government, we brought up a squad known as ‘Akeke’ meaning scorpion squad and they are always on alert in case of any uproar. We equipped them with necessary gadgets to fight insecurity and we also procured the same for other national security agencies like DSS, NSCDC, Police. Anytime these hooligans are about to start making trouble, we usually beckon to the security agencies, that is why we are enjoying relative peace in our own local government area.
In addition, we hold frequent security meetings with the stakeholders in various communities in our local government area to discuss prevailing security issues among others. With the help of God and the support of our boss, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, we have done a lot and we are still counting our successes.
Furthermore, we have also invested in agriculture as we have taken it as a priority. When we assumed office, we saw that we could invest in poultry farming, as this will enable our workers and members of the community to purchase chickens at cheaper rate.
We also have a fishpond although when we got into office, we met a fishpond but it wasn’t in use at all. We decided to make it functional and now our fish known as ‘Onireke fish’ is in high demand.
On the progress made so far in the area of education, we have been giving out books to our students in primary schools and we even compiled various past questions that will enable our kids to be able to face common entrance examinations. In addition to that, every year we give scholarships to prospective students of the First Technical University, Ibadan, the School of Nursing, Eleyele among others.
I want to add this to our achievement in the educational sector- we constructed and built boreholes, modern toilets to prevent the spread of diseases.
We equally mandated that every ward in our local government must have a functional health care centre where people will have access to affordable treatment. With the assistance of the state government, the health centre in ward six has been completed while hoping that the one located in ward three too will be completed soon.
The health centre in Idi-Oro was also part of what we renovated, it was formerly a safe haven for criminals but to ensure the safety of lives and property, we renovated it and made it more secured. We even fenced it. Our administration has also renovated the customary court, Eleyele, by making it more habitable for users.
Are you also in support that Local Government should have their autonomy?
There is nothing bad about local governments having their autonomy. Although, in Oyo state we are not facing any kind of discomfort. I believe what others are clamouring for is a kind of defined local government autonomy and I am sure that people concerned know what ought to be done. I am optimistic that local governments will soon have their autonomy.
What advice will you give the Olubadan in council concerning the celebration of Egungun Festival since violence is always being recorded when the festival holds?
My belief is that as the world is advancing, we also need to advance. There is a need to modernize the celebration of this festival in order to attract tourist, investors. In the past, people usually came from overseas to watch but now people no longer attend because of fear of insecurity. Even residents in Ibadan are afraid to attend because of fear of the unknown. I will suggest that if the stakeholders involved can make it an annual festival – it will change the narratives. This will enhance the cultural celebration, as dignitaries, Olubadan in council will be present. The approach I believe will reduce violence that is currently associated with the celebration. What I am saying is that it can be held in an enclosed open space where all the Egunguns will dance to the admiration of dignitaries present. Of course, they will still make their money if it is well organized and it will be devoid of violence.
What is your administration doing to re-orientate the youths in your community?Â
Firstly, we hold programs where we invite our youths and we lecture them on how they can live a meaningful life and make their community better. Some hooligans are not Ibadan indigenes but some selfish people use them to cause trouble in the neighborhood and to grab people’s lands.
What can the government do concerning the abandoned houses in the interior of Ibadan that have become havens for criminals?
As part of our efforts to rid criminals out of the state, we have relevant agencies and whistleblowers who give us information. Recently, there was an abandoned storey building around the Sapati area that has been planned for demolition because it was confirmed that notorious criminals live there. But the family rose against us. I want to let you know that it is not easy for a local government to demolish a building except if the house owners agree to it and there are laid down procedures that must be followed.
However, when we couldn’t demolish the house, we sent out relevant security agencies to flush out the criminals hiding in the house. We are imploring families, especially prominent indigenes of Ibadan at home and abroad to go and check their family houses so that criminals won’t use it as hide out.
Have you tried notifying some notable members of the communities like Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, Senator Adesoji Akanbi and other prominent indigenes of Ibadan North West Local Government Area? They can use their clouts to encourage others to pay visits to their family compounds… Â
You have given us another idea. We will reach out to all those you mentioned and others.
