Chairman, Ibeju-Lekki Local Council Development Area, Abdullahi Olowa, has expressed commitment to strategic and meaningful ideas for the betterment of the people of the area.

Mr Olowa made these remarks on Tuesday at the annual interactive session with a non-governmental organisation, Club Seventies, Epe, to commemorate the New Year.

The club annually organises a series of interactive sessions with personalities in the Epe division on the way forward and how to contribute their quota to the development of their communities.

Speaking, Mr Olowa said that he was poised to strategise with different groups for the betterment of various communities in the area.

The chairman, who used the avenue to highlight some of his achievements, said that “good leadership is not sitting down in a corner and expecting change but strategising on a plan and working towards it.

“This greater leadership and developmental strategy has been in my blood right from my secondary school, as I have always been on the frontier for good leadership.

“As the chairman of Ibeju Lekki, I don’t rest on my laurels. I strategise on infrastructural, social development, security, education and others to take the local government to the promised land. I see my present position as an avenue for me to use my level of experience over the years to develop my community. I never relent on strategising on meaningful ideas and I work towards it,” Mr Olowa said.

He said that his ‘Cleaner Initiative’ for the Ibeju-Lekki community and schools was to enhance the beauty of the area and make it habitable for all.

“We don’t allow the pupils or students to cut grass in schools anymore,” he said.

He said that the council had planned out ideas on budget revenue, which he said was now contributing immensely to the development of Ibeju-Lekki.

According to him, his administration has also strategised on meaningful innovations in marketplaces to improve the standard of buying and selling and yield more profit to traders.

“In this new year, we have planned on more ideas to take Ibeju-Lekki to an enviable height. Ibeju-Lekki is taking another dimension in grassroots development. Our roads are being worked upon to make motorists enjoy their journeys to their various locations. We are on a 342-kilometre land mass with a series of developments. We are bordering Epe, Eti-osa, Lekki, etc. We shall leave no stone unturned for grassroots development. Developing a community like this needs technical know-how. We shall focus on the roads we can fix in 2024,” he said.

Mr Olowa said that his administration had positively affected grassroots health, education, transport and traffic management.

“Traffic in Ibeju-Lekki is worrisome to some extent. The truck count on our road is about 3,000 on a daily basis, including that of Dangote. We want to have a trailer park to check the excesses. We only need land to do that. To put a stop to the heavy traffic, we need infrastructure and technology,” he added.

Earlier in his speech, the President of Club Seventies, Epe, Adelaja Hassan, who described Mr Olowa as an administrator par excellence with digital prowess, applauded him for sterling performances that had impacted lives positively in various communities.

According to him, the council boss is known for proficient legislation, excellence, professionalism, community-centricity, results-driven approaches and efficient community service delivery.

He noted that the interactive session was an avenue to brainstorm on the progress and development of the Epe Division, which requires collective responsibility.

Mr Hassan said, “For years, Club Seventies, Epe has been contributing its quota to the development of the Epe Division at a time when it is needed. Now, collectively, we are setting bold and ambitious goals to meet the needs of our neighbouring communities and Lagos State at large.

“As a club, we believe strongly that one of our cardinal areas of support is to partner with legislatures, administrators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and progressives within the community to foster growth, development and empowerment in our division.

“Let me emphasise that boldness, focused on success and commitment to effective service delivery are benchmarks we must use to grow and sustain our enviable achievements in the division,” he said.

He said that the interactive session would not only inspire members to grow the club and expand services but also to share success stories.

“Let us be bold and lead the way to a better future and a world of positive change,” the president said.

(NAN)