It is no more a news that a two-term House of Assembly member in Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Pastor Olayiwola Ojodu is one of the hopeful Chairmanship aspirants for the upcoming local government elections which will come up in November 16.
Ojodu in an exclusive interview with NewsAngle said that the good people of Abeokuta North Local Goverment has invested much in him and he is ready,even more than before,to give a good stewardship of their trust, if given the opportunity to serve again.
He thanked His Excellency Prince Dapo Aboidun Mfr for his good gestures and for the privilege to serve as His Senior Special Assistant in the first term.
Hon Pastor Ojodu’s wealth of experience in governance, having served twice as the Constituency representative at the Ogun State House of Assembly,and his good knowledge of people,landscape and issues affecting the various Communities in the local government,put him at advantage over any other aspirants.
According to him,my knowledge of the local goverment as one that has represented them for eight good years,who still went round to campaign for the last election as the Assistant Director-General of the Campaign Committee in the Federal Constituency Comprising of Abeokuta North,Obafemi Owode and Odeda Local Goverment,keep me in tune with the people and affairs of the local government and as one that lives amongst his people,he knows where the shoe pinches.
His experience in governance,especially as an active member of Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs Committee,a House Committee saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the local governments in the state,all these are handy in taking the local Goverment to its eldorado.
The Chairmanship aspirant said that during his time as a lawmaker representing Abeokuta North State Constituency, he performed beyond people’s expectations and embarked on legacy projects which adorn the nooks and crannies of the Local Goverment.
Ojodu submitted that he remains the best man to reverse the trend of abysmal performance of the local government administration.
In his words” I am here to make a difference, I am here to Redefine Grassroot Governance,I’m here to do things differently,in line with the developmental mantra of our amiable Governor,His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun Mfr,ISEYA!
Ours is a local government that is made up of Urban and Rural areas. We must take advantage of the potentials inherent in the LG. We must devise a new and standard way of keeping the records of the local government. We must upgrade processes to come in tandem with best practices as seen elsewhere. We must explore the digital economy. Our education must work,our streets must be clean,we must take the internal generated revenue of the local government to a level of real autonomy when the local government will almost be self sustained by plugging loopholes, investing heavily in agriculture and other ventures. The workforce of the local government must be productive and not just left redundant.
Ambitious projects that will have direct bearing on the people must be pursued and there must be a foolproof template to arrive at projects to be undertaken by the local government.
We are surely going to do things differently and the result will be different.