- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The Executive Chairman of Okemesi/Ido-Ile Local Council Development Area of Ekiti State, Hon. Sunday Owolabi Ajibade has said that his administration would adopt and utilize every opportunity coming for rural development.
He stated this while personally monitoring the road rehabilitations along Okemesi Grammar School/Esa-Oke boundary axis in Okemesi-Ekiti.
The council Boss said that part of the failed portion of the road worked on was the road leading to the LCDA temporary secretariat at the front of late Daramola’s house and the portion between OGS boundary and a block industry with hard core stones.
He further stated that his administration embracing such projects because it would go a long way in enhancing the movement of people and goods (including agricultural products) in and out of the town and thereby improving the standard of living of the people of Okemesi and Ido Ile.
The former member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly said; “We have our focus as a people and we believe that the council will ensure every necessary projects will be attended to within the limit of resources available.
Recalled that the chairman had also worked on Okemesi/Itawure road about a month ago and when asked the reason why mending the roads despite the fact that the portion of the road being worked upon belongs to another local government, Hon. Ajibade Said “My people are the major users of the road and I cannot open my eyes and allowed them to be cut off from the outside world”.
Profiling the account of his stewardship, Hon. Ajibade stated some of the projects embarked on by his administration in the last one and a half years which includes: rehabilitation of the failed portions of roads eg along Okemesi-Itawure road as well as Okemesi/Esa Oke road up to the boundary of Ekiti and Osun states with hard core stones, reconstruction of damaged box culvert at Okerena area, Okemesi, Construction of 600M line drainage at Okeokuta area of Okemesi, construction of 200M line drainage at Ido-Ile, construction of 30 open market stalls at a new market site in Ido Ile, construction of Abbatoir in Okemesi and construction of office building complex at the permanent site of the LCDA which include receptionist office plus 14 other offices each with ante room and toilet facilities.
The rest are drilling of borehole at the permanent site, empowerment programmes to farmers and women which includes: distribution of knapsack sprayers plus herbicides and cutlasses to 30 farmers in each Ward at the beginning of the planting season and distribution of gas cylinders to at least 10 women in each Ward, raising of 1,500 oilpalm seedlings which the council is planning to sell to farmers at subsidised rate, and cultivation of 5,000 heaps of hybrid maize inter-cropped with hybrid cassava, grading of township as well as rural roads to ease the movement of farm produce in both Okemesi and Ido-Ile axis, purchase of laptop and JAMB forms to brilliant but indigent students and the repair of 2 of the 3 dead vehicles the LCDA inherited from the parent council (Ekiti West Local Government) secretariat.
He said his administration will not rest on her oars in doing the needful, adding that work won’t stop on all the ongoing projects including fixing of drainages to prevent erosion across the LCDA.
Ajibade, in addition unfolded the plan of his administration to ensure more developmental projects to further demonstrate his readiness and commitment to the welfare of the people of Okemesi and Ido-Ile communities.
