14th September, 2011
Harvey Road in Yaba Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has been renamed after the former scribe of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Mr. Ayo Opadokun.
Similarly, two other streets were renamed after two leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Mr. Olawale Oshun and the late Chief Dapo Bode-Thomas.
Speaking at a ceremony last weekend, the chairman of the council area, Olajide Jimoh, said the decision was borne out of the administration’s policy to give honour to who it is due.
According to him, “in line with one of this administration’s policies to give honour to who it is due, the council had decided to rename the three streets within Yaba LCDA after three of its distinguished leaders, first, Harvey Road, by Customs office, shall henceforth be known as Ayo Opadokun Avenue. Mr. Opadokun was the secretary of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and a pro-democracy activist as well as coordinator of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER).
“The second street, Wright Street, shall henceforth be called Olawale Oshun Street. Honourable Olawale Oshun was a staunch member of NADECO, a former chief whip of the Federal House of Representatives and the current chairman of Lagos Mainland Elders’ Forum and state leader.
“The third street shall be named in memory of the late Honourable. Dapo Bode-Thomas. The late Dapo Bode-Thomas was a pioneer member of Lagos State House of Assembly and a former Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.
“We shall always appreciate our leaders and their contribution to nation building.
“This honour is a call to more service from our two leaders and we know you will not disappoint us. To whom much is given, much is expected,†he said.
The occasion was also used by the council chairman to give account of his stewardship with the unveiling of a compendium, which he said is physical evidence of how the council has been transformed into a model city.
“When we assumed office three years ago, the job at hand seemed insurmountable as there were so many areas begging for attention. Our people had been denied the dividends of democracy for so long and there was clamour for positive change.
“Today, I have come to render the account of my stewardship to the people who entrusted their sovereignty to me three years ago, as their council chairman. I have come to showcase the landmark achievement of my administration in the areas of roads, infrastructure, security, social welfare and education. We have not come just to talk about them but to present concrete pictorial evidences,†Jimoh stated, just as he used the occasion to thank the entire residents of the area for the cooperation and support as well as the leadership of ACN, for the confidence they have in him and for endorsing him for a second term in office.
—Paul Sanusi