12th November, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Lagos State Governor,. Akinwunmi Ambode says his administration is committed to community development as well as intensifying community security as a way of strengthening the communities as growth and development starts at the community level.
The governor spoke at the grand finale of this year’s Community Day celebration which held at the Police College Parade Ground in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Thursday.
According to Ambode, his government had initiated a bottom to top approach to governance by making the communities an integral part of decision making process, as communities must decide what they wanted from the government and bring it forward.
“In keeping with our promise to intensify community security, we have donated to the Neighbourhood Watchers 48 patrol vans, 385 walkie talkies, 11 base and repeater stations, 1,150 uniforms, 570 handcuffs, 1,150 belts, berets and boots to equip them to keep our communities safe,” he said.
The governor disclosed that his government is working at a higher level with the Nigeria police and other security agencies to ensure the state is safe and secure for residents and investors, assuring that the government is “totally committed to the implementation of community policing with active involvement of our people.”
Ambode also highlighted other efforts by the government to make life easier for the communities, which included provision of 26 transport ambulances and 20 mobile intensive care units; 22 generators for General Hospitals; recruitment of 1,300 primary school teachers; 100 fire fighters; rehabilitation, repair and maintenance of over 268 inner township roads; blue light rail transportation; supply of transformers and electricity to 112 communities that were hitherto in darkness.
“Each one of us has a role to play in the achievement of the future, today; therefore, we must all continue to contribute in various ways to the community. The communities exist to support its members. The community is our connection, identity and can only develop with our cooperation,” he said.
The governor charged the community people to involve themselves in the process of governance at the council level and to also engage their Ward chairmen and executives as well as Executive Secretary of local councils “because they represent your interests.”
“While you engage your representatives, remember your duties to be law abiding and responsible citizens.
Join the crusade for zero tolerance for street trading and enforcement of environmental sanitation. If we do not buy, they would not sell in traffic. If they do not sell, criminals will not be able to mingle with them and make commuting a danger for members of the public”, Ambode said.
Ambode appealed to the people to pay their taxes, keep the environment clean and obey the laws against smoking in public places, urinating in public and polluting the neighbourhood with needless noise.
“Let us work together to build strong, prosperous and committed communities that would be the bedrock of the development of Lagos state”, he said.
The governor thanked the over 3,241 Community Development Associations, CDAs, in Lagos for their deep passion for service to humanity and their various self-help projects that have been initiated and implemented to complement government efforts in the local communities.
“You have by these actions demonstrated your belief in the fact that development is a collective effort and cannot be left alone for government,” he said.
Highlights of the event were match past by all the CDAs from all the 57 local councils in the state, while prices were also given to the CDAs who executed the best self-help projects, while the governor also presented 48 patrol vans to the Neighbourhood Watchers.
Dignitaries present at the event include, Jimi Benson, House of Representatives member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency; Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami; Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan, among others.