A local Government Chairman in Ekiti State, Hon (Engr) Toyin Ojo, said the focus of his administration on key areas critical to human lives and development has generated tremendous development in the area.
He stated that the interest in improved condition of life for the people propelled his administration to focus on model strides to the populace in provision of electricity , security and potable water to the residents of the council.
Engr Ojo, who is the Chairman of the metropolitan Council of Ado Central Local Council Development Area, spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Thursday, while interacting with some stakeholders, who paid a courtesy visit to his office.
Addressing his visitors on some of the landmark programmes he had initiated to generate development in the LCDA, Ojo declared that his administration has provided over 100 poles of solar-powered electricity in the council in a spate of two years.
The Local Government boss, who expressed delight in Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s principle of making the local government administration more virile in Ekiti through adequate funding, said the solar-powered electrification projects, had brought tremendous upswing to the council’s nightlife, its aesthetic value and development of businesses in the area.
Shedding light on how the projects were distributed across the Council, Engr Ojo said: “We erected 30 poles at Oke Oniyo street, 10 poles at Igbeyin area, 20 poles at Arowa/Oja Oba/Ijoka/Odo Otu axis, 30 poles at Orereowu/Ajibade area and 10 poles at Ereguru/Ojumose/Ogbon- Ado quarters.
“You can go round the LCDA at night, you will realise that there has been a tremendous change. Businesses in the area are now being operated till midnight unlike when all businesses were closed before 9.30pm due to consistent power outage.
“What we are doing is to complement what Governor Oyebanji is doing to increase power supply across all the towns and villages. Currently, many towns in some local governments that had been in darkness for years are being connected or reconnected back to the national grid.
“Our mission is to provide more solar in the council, so that it can also complement the efforts we are making in the area of security. Light is very essential in the life of any nation. It is a driving force for businesses, especially the small and medium scale ones that are domiciled at the grassroots”.
Revealing his concerted efforts to safeguard the lives and property of the residents, Hon Ojo stated that his administration built an edifice for the men and officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) to reinforce security around the area.
The Council Chairman boasted that the project has helped in shoring up security in the area and accounted for why people now carry out their businesses at night time without incidences of threats or molestations.
“About a month ago, I commissioned the project and the officers are now patrolling the area at night. Their being brought closer to us has caused increasing night patrol that has helped in neutralising the activities of the men of the underworld and other evil doers around here.
“The essence of any government being put in place is to ensure security of lives and property. This project has helped in achieving this. This was aside from other internal security measures we are devising with our security outfits we can’t divulge openly”.
Engr Ojo stated that his administration has succeeded in increasing the provision of potable water to the residents by providing boreholes in densely populated areas to prevent spread of water borne diseases and ensure the wellbeing of the populace.
“We provided a 10-point borehole at Oke Oniyo, a modern borehole at Sasere Compound at Igbeyin area, one at Arowa compound near Oja Oba that serves majorly the traders at Erekesan market and one at Ereguru axis.
“We considered provision of potable and safe water very important because we want to control the breakout of water borne diseases. We can’t allow our people to die of such avoidable diseases or be spending their hard earned money on such ailments. That was why we rose to the occasion”.
In the area if health services, Engr Ojo added that his administration had revived the moribund Health Centre at Oke Oniyo and equipped it with modern facilities and adequate personnel to be able to offer qualitative services to the residents.