From the moment he assumed office, the Chairman of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Otunba Kehinde Almaroof Oloyede aka Kendoo, made an unequivocal promise; that the welfare of his people would take precedence. It is a promise he has kept, steadily and convincingly. During his first term, Oloyede stood out with exceptional drive and administrative dedication. His tenure saw vigorous road construction and renovation, leading to the completion of over 50 roads, among others. The Chairman spoke with OLADIPUPO AWOJOBI in an interview. Excepts:

Can you tell us why you decided to be a local government chairman?

I believe that being a local government chairman is the best way to get across to the grassroots. For me, the Nigerian masses want someone that would be close to them in their moments of need.

We appreciate the efforts of the state governors and the president. In the real sense of it, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu tried with the local government autonomy and for increasing the allocations that go to the state and the local governments.

So, how have you been reaching out to the people of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government?

At the risk of blowing my trumpet, I would say I have done the little I can do for the people. We have tarred several roads including Akinniku, Suwebatu, Michael, Omilade Streets etc.

We have drilled more than 40 boreholes at strategic locations such as Alade, Michael, Church and Oyetayo Streets provided solar powered lights launched several youth skills-enhancement and empowerment programmes. These efforts not only improved infrastructure but also rebuilt trust in grassroots governance.

We noticed that the people in the grassroots usually need support in the area of finance and empowerment…

Yes, just recently, on December 12, we did a massive empowerment tagged; “Bola Ahmed Tinubu”s Renewed Hope Mega Empowerment,” a programme many people have described as unprecedented in local government administration across Nigeria.

The mega empowerment programme held at the council secretariat and it attracted a large and diverse audience, including artisans, vulnerable residents, and indigent citizens from across the local government area.

It also drew key political figures, including the Chairman of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Pastor Cornelius Oyefolu Ojelabi, and other members of our party’s state executive as well as the members representing Oshodi/ Isolo Constituency in the House Of Representatives and the Lagos State House of Assembly. I can tell you that Pastor Ojelabi was happy with the event and he commended us for coming up with something that would reduce poverty in the local government.

What were the things you gave the people?

We gave out 100 deep freezers, 100 grinding machines, 100 barbing kits with generating sets, 100 gas cookers with cylinders, 100 hair dryers, and 100 vulcanizing machines.

In addition, beneficiaries received 100 makeup kits and 200 POS machines, each accompanied by a N200,000 take-off grant to support immediate business operations. We even continued the pro- gramme on Saturday as distributions resumed for those who were unable to benefit on the first day.

Do you think the local governments can help in the area of security in the country?

Yes, we have much roles to play and we are ready to assist in this area by working with traditional rulers to ensure that we secure our communities.

We have been having meetings with the Community Development Areas (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) on how we can secure our communities. Now that the President has approved state police and told the National Assembly to work on enabling laws, I believe that the security situation in the country will improve very soon.

How do you think we can make local governments more meaningful in the country?

I believe the people should support the local councils by paying their levies and fees regularly. We know that the state and federal governments are trying, but we still need more support from them. We are ready to assist the government to take development round the country in our own little way.