By Ejiofor Toochi
Edited by Sunkanmi Adewunmi
On Wednesday, November 5, the Executive Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Hon. Akeem Olamilekan Dauda, met with community members at Unity Road as part of his ongoing Community Stakeholders’ Engagement Meetings.
The session, themed “Making Government Work for All Through Inclusiveness of Residents in the Six Geopolitical Wards in Ikeja,” was aimed at gathering feedback from residents on their needs and expectations from the new administration.
Held in collaboration with members of Ward A Unity Community Development Association (CDA), the meeting also had in attendance the Vice Chairman, Hon. Abisola Omisore. Community members used the opportunity to share their concerns and suggest areas that needed government attention.
Speaking to IkejaBird, Hon. Dauda explained that before assuming office, his team had consulted with various communities to identify their priorities during the election period. The current engagement, he said, was a continuation of that effort, designed to collect residents’ input ahead of drafting the 2026 budget. “They’ve agreed to the fact that there are a lot of things that need to be changed in terms of environment, education, healthcare and by next year, all these things will be put in our budget.”
Hon. Dauda outlined key plans for 2026, focusing on security, technology, infrastructure, healthcare, and education. He pledged to improve school facilities and train 100 students in artificial intelligence, emphasizing that technology represents the future.
The chairman noted the absence of adequate healthcare facilities in the community and stated that the Local Government had recently acquired land in Ipodo to address the gap. He explained that the new health centre, once completed, would serve the entire community and improve access to essential medical services.
The chairman also described the programme as youth-driven, emphasizing plans to engage young people. He said, “We’re going to be working with our youths closely in terms of IT, education, scholarship and employment, because we’ve discovered that we have talented youths within our community and we need to inform and engage them so they’ll know where they can fit in.”
Finally, he urged residents to uphold cultural values, pay their taxes, and participate in the electoral process by registering and voting, describing these as essential civic duties that support local governance.
