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There are cantankerous and conceited First Ladies. There are also courteous and unassuming First Ladies. Nigeria has them all. It is for the latter virtues that you would not but love the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola. Despite her enviable and exalted position, and the resources available to her, one of the most interesting things about Dame Abimbola is that for the past seven and a half years that her husband has been governor, she has never been enmeshed in any controversy of any sort. Neither has she been caught making unguarded statements capable of causing the Babatunde Fashola-administration any unnecessary embarrassment. Aside matters that have to do with kids and women and the general well-being of Lagosians, you would never catch the lovable Lagos First Lady meddling in political matters.
It therefore came as a shock and surprise to many who know her when, sometime in 2013, at the launch of some projects by the chairman of Apapa Local Government, Ayodeji Joseph, she said: “These are great innovations. Despite the lean purses of local governments in the state and pressure on infrastructure development, I am proud to be associated with Ayo. If other local government chairmen are this passionate about their people, development will be faster.” Coming from a woman whose Governor-husband is renowned for his prudence with resources and eulogies; a virtue she has no doubt wholly imbibed, Ayodeji Joseph must indeed have awed and humbled her with his achievements in office.
Similarly, at the launching, recently, of the Apapa Skills Acquisition Centre built by Ayodeji, with a view to getting youths in the local government off the streets and empowering them with skills like tailoring, cosmetology, carpentry, and barbing among others, Senator Muniru Adekunle Muse representing Lagos Central said, “I commend the chairman for his efforts to conceptualise and execute such project aimed at taking the youths off the streets and for taking Apapa to a greater height. Anywhere you are in Nigeria, you will know that Apapa is the best local government area.” For a 75-year-old man, an accomplished professional and two-term Senator, Senator Muse could never have been induced to say those good things about Ayodeji. Obviously, those good words were borne out of steadfast conviction and confidence in the stewardship of Ayodeji. More so, being a former chairman of the Apapa Local Government must have given the gracefully ageing Senator more than a bird’s eye view of happenings there before affirming without much ado that Ayodeji is a primus inter pares in the comity of Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria.
Interestingly, the gangling Lagos State University, LASU, graduate of Geography and Planning was not new to such effusive, heartwarming praises. In fact, his actions and activities-packed stewardship has been hallmarked and buffeted by honours and appreciation from far and near, and from political and traditional leaders. The truth is that these praises are not based on political patronage or favour-seeking; they are the spin-off of the high-achieving administration of a young man that was not given the minutest chance to succeed.
The Mayor of Apapa as he is fondly addressed by all and sundry, Ayodeji came into office having to battle the two-headed piranha of doubts about his ability based on his youthfulness, and the obvious absence of the experience and expertise needed to run the affairs of a strategic and symbolic local government as Apapa. Indeed, Apapa is one of the most important local government areas in Lagos nay Nigeria. Also fondly called ‘the golden council’ for being the host community to two of Nigeria’s leading seaports – the Apapa Port and the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa is home to some of Nigeria’s biggest industries and a Government Residential Area which still serves as home to many prominent Nigerian families and institutions. Created in 1996, the Apapa Local Government Area is an important gateway to Nigeria’s economy. Therefore, managing the affairs of this cosmopolitan city with its concomitant hydra-headed challenges could not have been a tea party. Four years after, Ayodeji has not only distinguished himself as a young politician with a tunnel-vision mission, his imprints and legacies in Apapa will be a reference point for many generations to come.
As the fourth Executive Chairman of Apapa LGA, it is on record that Ayodeji’s administration built, equipped and stocked a primary health centre in each of the political wards in the local government. From time to time, various drugs were supplied to the health centres for the benefit of the people. For areas with no lands to house a PHC, officials of the Local Government reach out to the people directly and provide free drugs and immunization for kids. Ayodeji also ensured, in collaboration with the National Women Coalition on AIDS, NAWOCA, that there was free testing/counseling and sensitization on HIV/AIDS for youths all year round. Moved by the volume of human activities and movement in and around Apapa, Ayodeji instituted a 24-hour ambulance service with brand new buses to boot. Apart from ingenious initiatives like the anti-fake drug campaign, free hypertension and diabetes screening exercise, free eye tests, free dental care and mass de-worming of all primary school pupils which have made healthcare available and accessible to the people of Apapa LG; the investments, despite the paucity of funds, in health equipments like oxygen gas machines which he donated to the Apapa General Hospital are legendary and laudable.
A Master’s degree holder in Geographic Information Science from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Ayodeji believes in the maxim that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Thus, his administration ensured that no kid of school age was out of school. Aside constructing new classrooms in major schools, Ayodeji also provided air-conditioned luxury buses used in conveying pupils to and from their schools within Apapa. The former staff of Guaranty Trust Bank also brought his corporate background experience to bear by getting many companies doing business in Apapa to pick a school of their choice, rehabilitate, upgrade and equip it with facilities that make learning easy. The popular Ladi Lak Primary School was reconstructed by the owners of Kazuma Plaza while Flour mills of Nigeria PLC took up the Ijora Oloye Primary School. The pupils of Nanti village (a waterside area in Apapa) were provided engine boats to ferry them to and from the Liverpool estuary. All these are aside the provision of school uniforms for all primary school pupils on an annual basis and provision of GCE and JAMB forms for eligible students within the council. Unlike the days of old when the only form of interaction was through inter house sports, the Mayor of Apapa singlehandedly sponsored many debate and quiz competitions with the intention to enthrone a culture of healthy intellectual competition. The kids are the better for it now.
For Ayodeji, public service is inherent and hereditary. A descendant of one of the ruling houses in Ijora, as a teenager, he joined the Social Democratic Party and was at the Jos convention where Chief MKO Abiola won the party’s ticket to contest for the June 12, 1993 election. He joined other kindred spirits to form the Kakanfo Support Group for Abiola who went on to win the election but was prevented from ruling, a major blight on the trajectory of Nigeria. Ayodeji joined the Alliance for Democracy at inception and in 2003, he co-founded the Friends of Tinubu group. Despite his flourishing career as a banker, Ayodeji quit to serve his people. Without much ado, he ran a good race as a local government chairman. No wonder the people of Apapa Federal Constituency have beckoned on him to come and give them quality and worthwhile representation at the House of Representatives. And he has hearkened the call by obtaining an Expression of Intent form. All things being equal, Apapa, as a Federal Constituent, will never remain the same again when Ayodeji gets to the National Assembly. The people of Apapa Local Government can unanimously testify to this.
This Article was written in 2014 just before he ran for the House of Reps seat in 2015 and won,Today he is MD of LSPDC BREAKING new grounds.
Uthman Giwa
