A cross-section of Ikorodu Division stakeholders have reacted to the list of Commissioners’ nominees sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu last Friday.
The stakeholders, who spoke on different Ikorodu Division social media platforms, expressed disappointments on the Governor’s decision to give the entire Ikorodu Division only one Commissioner slot out of the 39 nominees selected across the State.
The stakeholders were very emphatic in calling out the Governor for not reciprocating the long-term loyalty of the Division to the ruling, All Progressives Congress (APC).
They equally lamented that, Lagos Island and other Divisions of the State who could not match the massive votes the Governor, President and the APC recorded during the last general elections in Ikorodu Division were considered for multiple nominations on the Governor’s Commissioners’ nominees list.
The only slot given to Ikorodu Division on the 39-man list was the immediate past Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya daughter of a former holder of the same office, during the eught year tenure of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Governor of Lagos State between 1999-2007.
It would be recalled that the Apex APC Leaders, under the leadership of a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye transmitted a shortlist of three Commissioners nominees from Ikorodu Division to the Governor last month.
As it turns out, Governor Sanwo-Olu only picked Ms Olusanya from the list of three candidates sent to him by the Ikorodu leaders.
See some of the Ikorodu Division stakeholders comments below;
A University Lecturer, Mr Agboola Odesanya wrote, ‘Yet Ikorodu had the biggest chunk of votes. They know you don’t deserve great things. BRF awarded roads in Surulere to Berger, but gave Awolowo Road in Ikorodu to Ba Taofi’.
Another commentator, Bashir Oluwakwmi Hassan said, ‘We can not continue to laboriously work for leaders who are not factoring our progress and interest in the scheme of things. We want leaders who will fight for the progress of their followers and not using their loyalty to oppress them through perpetuation of their hegemony’.
He continued, ‘Our leaders must be made accountable for their misdeeds. Sheepish followership will continue to stuant our growth and atrophy our democracy. Any leader who has not been seen or adjudged to have fought for the empowerment of his followers and development of his Community should not be worthy of our support’.
‘Is this not Alake’s child on the list when the dad is a ministerial nominee, all the way from Ekiti?’, a commentator, DProf Odesanya asked rhetorically.
‘This much be rejected in total, what is the election results of this other division, what development is remaining at this other areas, Ikorodu will have turn to oko ewedu if not for BABAJIMI BENSON, to me this is evil please, said a concerned resident, Prince Lade.
‘And we have GAC’s in Ikorodu hmmm we need to think of our future. During last election we worked tirelessness to make sure we chased away that ‘OMO ALE’ refered himself as Lagosian,we campaigned,we mobilized, Ikorodu became the second highest voters in Lagos state yet nothing we were short changed in commissioner list.
Ikorodu presented and nominated 3 candidate Olusanya, Fredrick and also Hon NERO but out of the three names nominated only 1 made the list.
Like Yoruba adage which says “TI SATURDAY BA MA DA FRIDAY LATI MA MO” we are all shouting Ikorodu lo kan but yet we couldn’t make ordinary commissioner list’, he lamented.
IKORODU E JA KA RONU. Going through the list here, it is very absurd because Lagos Island has 5. I struggled to sees one Olowu and am not even sure if he is ikorodu proper. What is our gain now, ikorodu delivered and no reward to show for it? Ikorodu people are they playing back hand politics or what?
Meanwhile, the criticisms and rejection of the Governor’s offer have continue to grow as some APC Youths, under the aegis of Concerned Ikorodu Division Youths have addressed a Press Conference on Sunday, to express their displeasure to Governor Sanwo-Olu.
Similarly, two groups of protesters, some woken and youths have also expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed Sanwo-Olu’s Commissioners’ list.
While the youths staged their own protests at Ikorodu Garage Roundabout and Ogolonto Bus Stop, a group of Ikorodu Division women took their displeasure to the Governor’s doorstep at Alausa and the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.
The two protests took place simultaneously yesterday.
Also, Ikorodu Oga Radio reliably gathered that the Ikorodu Division APC Apex Leadership are set for a big showdown with the Governor, as they held a strategic meeting yesterday at the House of the Apex Leader and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye to perfect their next line of action.
