By Oki Samson
One of the Commissioners in the Lagos State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Abiodun Orekoya has joined the race to fill a Lagos Assembly seat.
From Somolu constituency, the local government administrator declared his intention at Agunbiade Primary School, Somolu in an event that was well-attended by hundreds of APC party faithfuls as well as community people.
The grassroots mobilizer added that he is ready to do more for his community in a new role.
Stating that he wants to surpass the record of the current holder of the seat, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, Orekoya said: ‘We thank God for the grace He gave us to be able to do community service in Somolu.
In terms of administration, we have done well and the results are there.
With the paucity of funds, we were able to demonstrate to our people that government exists without borrowing money. I am a household name in Somolu.
My message is for the people of Somolu to support me to represent them in the House so that I can continue the good work that Hon. Rotimi Olowo is doing.
He is doing a good job. I want to make it better.’
‘We all know that Hon. Rotimi Olowo did massively in the Lagos House of Assembly seat when he said he wants to leave, I said Olowo has made Somolu great, I want to make it greater.
The assembly seat is not for mediocres but those who know what they are doing.
There are three tasks in the assembly – lawmaking, oversight, and lobbying – which are not for mediocres.
We must not make a mistake to drag the path of development backward.
I am tested and trusted to make Somolu greater, give me your support’, Trek Africa Newspaper reports.
Hon. Abiodun Orekoya speaking on how he wants to tackle insecurity said: ‘My primary focus will be to tackle issue of insecurity.
The way to do that Is to worK on education system. Get our children back to school.
Those days when we used to enjoy free education, many of us enjoyed it. We need to legislate free and compulsory education. I will lobby my colleagues to do that.’
‘Insecurity in our country is not limited to our community. It is something that we have to look at together.
My first solution to insecurity is education. Most of the boys involving in the menace are within the age of 12 – 16, we need to make our primary and secondary education free and compulsory.
I have been involved in LGA administration, we need to change the policy to make it compulsory.
That is what is happening in the developed countries we are copying.
If you go there, you will not see children of school age roam the streets. We need to get our children well-educated.
The government is spending much on primary education to remove burden off middle class. This is over 2 billion naira annually’, he continued.
On drug abuse, he noted: ‘Drug use is an international problem. We have to get our youths off the streets.
I realized that when I did a football competition recently, many of these boys left the street. We can’t throw them away. We have to engage them.’
Trek Africa Newspaper can reliably report that the aspirant, Abiodun Orekoya attended Lagos City Council Primary School, Fadeyi; The Apostolic Church Grammar School, Ketu; Ogun State Polytechnic; Yaba College of Technology for his HND, Electrical/Electronics program.
He is one of the earliest computer guru in Nigeria in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when he studied Computer Networking Servicing.
He worked at different times with the Guardian Newspaper, Ideal Concepts, among others. When he floated his computer business, Ladef Limited, some of his clientele were Wema Bank, UBA and so on.
He entered public service when he served as Vice Chairman of Somolu LGA twice from 2008 – 2014; then as Executive Secretary for same LGA between 2015 and 2016.
Under his watch, the Ambode Primary Health Centre and Diagnostic Centre was built.
The project was adjudged the best project by any Lagos council during that period.
Welldone beget more work, he was elevated to the office of Commissioner (Ikorodu Division) in the Lagos State Local Government Service Commission.
Some of the attendees at the official declaration vouched for the capacity of Hon. Orekoya. Hon. Adedayo Adefuye said: ‘He met politics at home. His father, Baba 7Up served in the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
If a right man is at the job, right things will happen.
I will briefly say that my father once lived in the house of Abiodun Orekoya’s father before we moved to another rented apartment.
We played children’s games together. He is educated and he has done it before.’
A youth leader who revealed that Hon. Orekoya supported in celebration of International Youth Day noted that he is a supportive leader for youths.
‘He is very active on the job. I have learned a lot about time and dedication through him.
Ability to legislate has to do with lobbying which needs good network. He has good network to help us’.
Mama Doherty said: ‘You have to exercise patience, Biodun. You have done well.
You can do it again.’ Other notable community persons at the event were Mrs. Oluremi Adeniran, Hon. Sola Folabi, Alhaji Banji Akano among others.
ROAD TO 2023: MUTIU ‘LIVING MKO’ OKUNOLA TO RUN FOR HOUSE OF REPS; CALLS HIS PREVIOUS TASK TO COMPEL TINUBU ‘A JOB DONE’, DROPS IMPORTANT HINT FOR HON. FALEKE
The Convener of Tinubu Non-Negotiable (TNN) 2023, Hon. Mutiu Okunola has shown interest to vie for the Federal House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal constituency.
He made this known during a press conference where he expounded on the diverse nature of Nigeria, his task for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to run for presidency, and what he wants Hon. James Faleke to do next.
Declaring his political intention, Hon. Mutiu Okunola stated: ‘Politics is not for semantics. It is strategic.
I am a grassrooter. I am closer to the needs of my people.
Legislature is not limited because I have been using my resources.
On how he plans to work when he gets the seat, ‘I am going to parade a team of legal luminaries who will work assiduously for bills that will help our people.
I will set in my office one of my agenda which is to include social infrastructure.
I will do head count or inventory of Ikeja including the NBA, NUJ, ad other professional bodies so that I can give them inclusive government.
I will look at their needs and revert it to my legal team so that they can prepare bills that will favor them.
Part of my social infrastructure is for women and children.
some of the people we see outside are miscreants lost their breadwinners or their breadwinners lost their bread making them not to complete their education. A primary goal is to assist the challenged.
The children must go to school instead of begging on the street or becoming miscreants.’
‘Once we have done the headcount, I am going to provide accommodation for the destitute.
Then I will use direct labour to make our people get to work.
I will tell them to bring quotation to do road repairs, I don’t have to wait for LGA to do that. I will introduce the youths to vocation.
Tailors will sew the clothes for children in primary school.
I don’t have to go out to do printing of exercise books, school feeding etc. Ikeja is cosmopolitan not rural so we have to do something that our people can relate with’ he revealed to Trek Africa Newspaper.
Other areas he desires to concentrate on is the creation of agricultural resettlement to provide financial assistance to marketpeople to bring farm produce and sell at subsidized rate to people under Ikeja Federal Constituency.’
‘I will embark on refurbishing our primary schools. I will first take inventory like I said of all our assets, tehn see what we can do to them.
Also, Lagos is a state of aquatic splendor, governments don’t understand that asphalt is not relevant for us.
We have to do concrete. The one I did here by myself is N23 million.
If it spoils, it is just to get cement to patch it unlike the asphalt which the hole will keep getting bigger and it spoils regularly.’
Explaining his methodology, Hon. Okunola said now MKO is non-negotiable: ‘I decamped because I desire to serve my people and you can only do that in a political party that is relevant.
When I came into APC, my job was to get Tinubu to contest and now the job is done, Tinubu has come out but I will not be the only one to vote for him.
Now on my own ambition, I am letting the delegates know that the person you want to follow must be somebody who can create wealth.
So for overwhelming victory in 2023, MKO is non-negotiable. I have paid the dues. We already have the votes on ground.
He urged Hon. James Faleke not to bow to political jobbers advising him to run for the same slot for a 4th term.
‘For Faleke to want to be speaker and he is seeking the 4th term, he should know that it is not possible because we can’t have Tinubu as President and still have him as Speaker as someone coming from Lagos.
You can’t repeat the same class four times, it doesn’t show progress.
So I will tell my boss, Faleke that this 4th term is irrelevant, he rather go in as Senator or Chief of Staff to our incoming President so he can work with him without distraction.
Asiwaju needs him more than he wants to be doing in Ikeja.
Everybody knows him well with Asiwaju so it is better for him to work fully well with Asiwaju. Coming in for 4th term is irrelevant to his staus and person.
Work holistic with Asiwaju because he is not a greenhorn to governance which is the kind of person we need for our leader, Asiwaju’, Trek Africa Newspaper gathered.
On his job for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the living MKO said: ‘Basically we want unity and fairness, we don’t want anybody to use the power of incumbency because once you are a president, you have the capacity to use the power but you are not helping yourself as you can’t hold power to infinity and you will be providing bad precedence.
If the military acknowledges that there is equity and stopped all other geopolitical zones except Southwest from competing in 1998, then why should democracy feel unconcerned?’
‘We have to uphold the power of rotation because I believe in Nigeria before believing in party and individual.
I have foreseen that every Dick and Harry wants to serve as President but it is all about selfish interest and stomach infrastructure.
They don’t even understand the basics that bind us and the sacrifices made by our founding fathers for us to get here.
They came in and benefitted and became reckless and don’t want to leave’, he concluded.
