Different groups and stakeholders across Ikorodu Division havecontinued to mount pressure on the governor of Lagos State, MrBabajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu over the non-inclusion of an Ikorodu indigene on the newly reconstituted Lagos State Local Governmen Service Commission board.
Sanwo-Olu has been widely criticised by Ikorodu stakeholders for the shabby treatment being given to the division, ever since he assumed office in 2019.
The latest pressure is coming from a group of Ikorodu youths under the aegis of Concerned Ikorodu Division Youths.
While commending the governor for the elevation of one of them, Ms Bisola Ruth Olusanya who has been acting as Commissioner for Agriculture for some months as a substantive Commissioner, the group, in a letter dated Monday, 9th November, 2020 demanded for the inclusion of Ikorodu Division on the newly reconstituted commission, among other demands.
The letter, signed by Kunle Adelabu and Co-signed by Oke Godwin Ogo-Oluwa and made available to Ikorodu Oga Radio read in part.
‘As major stakeholders in Ikorodu Division and Lagos State as a whole, we, the concerned youths of lkorodu Division, are adding our voices to the clamour by other stakeholders in the Division to callyour attention to the exclusion of the good people of Ikorodu Division from the newly constituted Lagos State Local Government Service Commission’.
‘We are appealing that you should use your good office in correcting this injustice by reconstituting the Commission to include a representative from Ikorodu Division before sending it to the Lagos State House of Assembly for screening and approval’, it added.
The group noted that, ‘considering the acceptance and support that your person and your administration have enjoyed from the good people of Ikorodu, we are expecting that we will be treated fairly and justly’.
They also stressed that,’ duringthe last election, we gave our votes without hesitation at the APC primaries, even after the party’s primaries, we still did not rest on our oars as we did not only vote for you massively in the general elections, we also guarded our votes jealousy; beat our own voting records and created new one by recording 45,879 votes and emerged third on the highest votes cast at the election’.
CIY lamented that, twenty months after theGovernor’s inauguration, the narrative seems to have gone worse, even what should naturally situate to the division viz positions and benefits, are either being heavily debated before it is finally given or they don’t get it at all. They cited instances in the appointment of just one lkorodu indigene in the Lagos State Executive Council and the delay in confirming her as a substantive commissioner months after the resignation of the former Commissioner in her Ministry.The exclusion of Ikorodu Division from the board of Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission among other injustice done to the division.
The concerned Ikorodu Youths drives home it’s argument by citing the breach of constitutional provisions by the Governor.
‘Your Excellency, the recently approved list of Chairman and members of Lagos State Local Government Service Commission with the exclusion of Ikorodu division, yet again does not only expose a presumed resentment against the division, but also berates some extant laws, especially S. 14(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which mandates that the composition of state or local government or any of government agency to be carried out with due recognition of the diversity of the people within its area of authority as it emphasizes the need to promote a sense of belonging among all the people of the Federation’.
In addition, S. 45(2a) of the Local Government Administration Law of Lagos State complements the provision S. 14 (4) of the Nigerian Constitution by stating that members shall be nominated from each division of the state and each nomination shall be confirmed by the House of Assembly’.
‘Mr Governor Sir, we hope that your administration will do everything to change the marginalization narrative towards Ikorodu Division by revisiting the composition of the Commission as released by your Head of Service of Lagos State last week (Tuesday, November 3, 2020) and include a representative from Ikorodu Division’, it submitted.
