After the last council election conducted July 2017 at Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area in fifteen Wards including the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) respectively. The All Progressive Congress (APC) won all the wards rigging massively with inflated figures in order to return to power. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who nailed the APC with ballot box snatching was not different either.
The Two Hundred Days or more of Ayoola - the new Executive Chairman. A lot of appraisals have been going round about this regime especially by its cohorts that the APC council government has plan to turn around the horrible conditions of people in Ajegunle. The Ayoola led APC administration, who won through guns and bottles where less than fifteen percent of the electorate voted in the Local Government election, have been moving around boasting that they really mean business to begin work in the various communities. In fact, it is like a canon ball hitting a cripple.
In one of the community papers: Project 3:16 Metro, it was reported that the Ayoola budget plan of 2018 is N3.5 Billion. According to the summary of the budget it was stated: Development Project is N911 million, Education N73 million, Health N66 million, Agriculture N2 million and Environment N2 million. For a lot of people, who will assume that this regime possibly means well after unveiling the figure of 2018 budget. The fundamental question to ask is will the Ayoola APC sound any different from its predecessors?
The report mentioned Ayoola saying "this budget has made adequate provision for continuous infrastructural development in various sectors as indicated in the above table. And this government will ensure that Year 2018 deliver on its promises for the good of our people". Hearing this, it is like saying a lion can be friendly to a goat. As a matter of fact, since 1999 of the so called civilian government, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now bearing APC in the Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA has been dracula to the poor masses in Ajegunle. Not also forgetting the countless attack unleashed on the poor.
Going by the Ayoola declaration that "this government will ensure that Year 2018 deliver on its promises for the good of our people". The people of Ajegunle should expect the less and see more attacks. The programs and policies of the APC both State and Federal, had always been to feed the big fishes in the water. From practical examples. The Ajeromi Ifelodun government, after Alimosho, receives the second highest allocation in Lagos. According to a report published by Statisense, an online portal reported from May 1999 to June 2017 the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government received as allocation the sum of N54, 127, 075, 720. 29. (https://www.slideshare.net)
Apparently, for the eighteen years of this regime of APC (including AD, AC and ACN) it has received annually the sum of N3, 007, 059, 762. To reiterate this shocking news, this is not the first time the Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA is receiving such huge allocation. However, what is so shocking about this whole thing is the way and manner the council politicians have inadequately being spending public resources, and using tax payers money of the poor masses in Ajegunle to execute their tycoon regime aimed towards profit while social amenities rot or not provided.
Alarmingly, this is a sharp indication that in all these years of this allocation in addition to the recent budget of N3.5 billion and the Internal Generated Revenue the government is collecting; without finding any reason disclosing the annual budget since 18 years for public scrutiny democratically. It doesn't mean the recent APC led government is genuine to have announced its budget. Perhaps, this recent development makes no difference comparing it to the former predecessors in power both in program and policies. It has always being government attacking the poor.
To worsen the situation on why the recent budget tag whatever name the APC gave it. It is a contradiction and not genuine in whatever rationality one have to look at it. The government claim that its target for 2018 Internal Generated Revenue will be One Hundred and Seventy Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira. But from the practical reality orbiting around the growing rate of poverty and economic challenges juxtaposition with the multiple levies and taxes ordinary people are forced to pay daily. Ajeromi Ifelodun continue to remain rich in the annual record of the IGR.
Going by the Lagos State Public Notice on tax, levies, receipt notice etc Punch Newspaper published Monday April 19, 2010. The Ajeromi Ifelodun led APC government hasn't been sincere by saying N178.5 million is it's target. In fact, it is a fundamental lie. Statistically, only the transport sector (which is one biggest industry in Ajeromi Ifelodun) can triple that figure. I mean in Ajegunle. Where on daily basis hundreds, thousands of people like the Okada riders, bus drivers, keke napep, etc pay virtually everything they struggle for the day to the local council. Both official and non official. And this has been on since 1999.
For the politicians in APC to claim to be transparency as the case might look. The poor masses in the ghetto community who live through their nose as each day passed by have not benefited any thing from the government. All what the politicians in APC regime are doing all this while is to continue to loot public fund through excusable project they put forward as something of people oriented to pretend as if the government is working. While in the reverse is contracting public money to themselves and their cohorts.
Inspite of this, the recent road construction the Ayoola government had embarked upon at Uzor street in the reverse have caused heart failure for a lot of families. Many homes were chopped off. In the course of this demolition, some families would possibly be rendered homeless in an economy where accommodation is extremely high and unaffordable. This is what the anti poor government dont give a damn about. They dont deem it necessary because of the agenda they want to retain. Compensating the affected people is the least APC can barely think of or endorse in their policy.
They will prefer to even demolish extremely in the so called name of development. While at the end putting poor families into perpetual agony. Road construction doesn't mean people would have to suffer or go through heart failure. There should be a balance of equation to embark on social services or moreless development. But because the Ayoola regime was sneaked into power by the private contractors and criminals in business. Policies that will directly impact on the poor in the community will be grinded into ashes in people's palm for them to eat. This has always been the repercussion concerning what the clientele government offers.
However, the 2018 budget and how the Ayoola APC government want to run it has demonstrated itself realistically with the practical examples of expending the budget. In adequately executing a budget of such amount: N3.5 billion that can have direct impact on the community. The policies and program of the government will speak for itself on how public money will be executed in virtually all the social services and provision of welfare in the community. Things that will have effect in the life of the poor masses. Such will only amount to the democratic control and management of the budget implementation where the masses from all sector will deliberate on how to run it. For example, a socialist type of government.
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Copyright @Fidel Davy
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