Oniru will lift Iru land higher than he met it ― Fayemi

Ekiti State governor, Mr Kayode Fayemi, has expressed confidence in the ability of Oniru of Iru land, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Abisogun II, to deliver his optimum best to the people of Iru Land and leave the community in a better state than he met it considering his many years of experience and projects that he had already started.

Governor Fayemi said this, on Sunday, when he paid a visit to the monarch in his palace, even as he also expressed joy being in the palace for the visit, describing the Kabiyesi as a brother for years, with whom he had been together on “this journey of progressive development in our communities.”

The governor, who noted that Iru land is one of the primmest land economies in Nigeria, further expressed delight that Oba Lawal had been chosen by the ancestors to continue in the path of very critical community development to Lagos and Nigeria.

According to Fayemi, the monarch is not just a progressive thinker, who is exposed and with extensive knowledge of development at the local community and global level, he has also received a first-class education in community development and has a network that will benefit Iru land.

“I am extremely delighted to be here today. This is like a home to me. Kabiyesi has been my brother for years, the better part of the last three decades.

“We have been coming on this journey of progressive development in our communities so I am especially delighted that he has been chosen by our ancestors to continue in the path of our fathers in this very critical community to Lagos and to Nigeria.

“I have no doubts in my mind that his period on the throne is going to be beneficial to our country. He is not just a progressive thinker, he is exposed, experienced and has extensive knowledge of development at the local community and global level. He has received a first-class education in community development and he has a network that will benefit this special community,” Fayemi said.

Speaking further, Governor Fayemi assured that issues concerning the Liason Offices as raised by Oba Lawal would be looked into by the Governors’ Forum and everything would be done to ensure the security of the Beach Front.

Fayemi disclosed that he had been abreast of all the developmental projects and programmes that the Oniru had engaged in since he ascended the throne, saying he was certain that Iru land was in the best of hands.

“I pray that your reign continues to bring in more prosperity and peace to your people. Everything you lay your hands upon since your ascending the throne will prosper and yield positive results and may God take evil far away from you.

“In the little time I have spent with you, we have discussed nothing but the development of Iru Land and you have very grand ideas on how to turn this place around already. I am delighted and excited at the opportunities that are staring us in the face with you as our royal father,” Fayemi said.

The Oniru of Iru land, Oba Lawal, in his remark, pledged that Iru land was committed to national, environmental and security development that would see to the overall growth and progress of not just Lagos State but Nigeria as a whole.

According to the monarch, who said that various developmental projects were already in place for the benefit of Iru land, the need to maintain a healthy environment would at the long run translate to a generally healthy community hence the importance of being committed to environmental development.

Oba Lawal disclosed that over the past few weeks, Iru Land had carried out various exercises bothering around environmental awareness and development such as tree planting and the cleanup of the beach fronts in Iru land.

“Mr Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, I am very grateful and delighted that you are here all the way from Ekiti State. We see all that you are doing in your State and we feel the impacts here in Lagos State as well. It is a thing of joy that you have successfully played your part as a governor in developing our nation.

“As governors and traditional rulers, we are enjoined to play our parts in making the nation great again. This is why, over the last few weeks here in Iru, we have been engaging in activities bothering around environmental development. We started with a tree planting exercise where we distributed no fewer than 1,500 seedlings for coconut and other trees.

“We also did the beach cleanup where we cleaned up waste from beach fronts all around Iru which brings me to the issue of waste management. We need to promote the use of reusable bags as against single-use plastic bags,” the Oniru averred.

Speaking further, he stated that the security of the States’ Liason Offices at the Oniru Beach Front was of optimum importance as the offices were old and dilapidated hence they serve as hideouts for miscreants and hoodlums.

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“We have written to the police and I would like you to use your office as the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum to look into this. Let us see how the palace can collaborate with those states because a lot of people come into this axis and their security should be our priority. We have a lot of financial institutions there, investors as well so we need to redevelop those places.

“There is what we call land value capture in land economics where properties of government especially that are not fit for purpose any more but are strategically located, such properties can still be utilized in some way and it would generate a lot of impact and revenue still comes back to the owners of such properties,” Oba Lawal asserted.

Speaking further, the Oniru of Iru land appealed to Governor Fayemi to support the call for giving traditional rulers a role in governance, saying that as traditional rulers, they were more informed about the communities’ needs and wants to be like a grassroots government.

He added that Iru land always looked forward to regional integration with neighbouring states such that any development or project proposed is most welcome as they would have a positive impact on the national economy.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE