In this exclusive interview, Hon. Fatoki Abiodun Olumide, chairmanship aspirant for Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area (LCDA), shares his vision for the community, outlining his plans for economic growth, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, and more.

With a focus on creative governance, IGR development, and investment drive, Olumide is poised to bring positive change to Ayobo-Ipaja. Details below

Q: Can we meet you officially, sir?

A: Yes, my name is Hon. Fatoki Abiodun Olumide, and I am the candidate aspiring for the office of the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA under Alimosho LGA.

Q: Can you dive a bit into your educational background?

A: I attended Baptist Day School and Baptist Secondary Grammar School respectively in Ago Are Oyo state for Primary & Secondary Education

Rivers state University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt with a degree in Mechanical Technology.

Postgraduate study in Public Relations and Advertising from Nigeria Institute of Journalism with host of other certificates home and abroad.

Q: What inspired you to run for the Ayobo Ipaja LCDA Chairmanship position, and what makes you the best candidate for the role?

A: My inspiration comes from my affiliation with past governance and the desire to fill existing lapses. I aim to bring creative governance, IGR development, and investment drive to Ayobo-Ipaja.

When you talk about the inspiration, it is borne out of affiliation with the past governance. Affiliation in the sense that being the two cadres of governance. Am talking about the party and the governance itself which is the running of an administrative setting in the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and I have seen lapses that are not yet filled and the yarning of the people still continues. The citizenry groan. I believe, I should come with my own style which is basically to demystifying governance. What I meant with demystification is that, changing the paradigm for the normal setting and bringing in my own three core agenda which I anchor on ‘Creative Governance, IGR Generation Development and Investment Drive’. I believe with these three-core agenda which I termed Agenda 102(cii) will help me navigate more and do better than the previous government because I believe that governance is all about continuity and in continuity there must be creativity especially at the grassroots levels. I have attended to some earlier discussions ahead of this time, which ask people why the President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu assented to the Local Government Autonomy? And I said there was a gap that needs to be filled and this gap is what I Fatoki Abiodun Olumide is coming up for at the grassroot level to make LG Autonomy functional and make people have a feeling of the grassroot governance.

Q: What are your top priorities for the development of Ayobo Ipaja, and how do you plan to achieve them?

A: When you look at Ayobo-Ipaja, sometimes I feel much has not been done for Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA in terms of governance exposure. There are lot of lapses, there are something that are not yet done in terms of infrastructural development, people exposure to what is running in Lagos state. Lagos State is the centre of excellence and when you visit some LCDAs, you will feel pity that we find ourselves at this extreme and those are the things my agenda will correct. Creating employment opportunities for the people at the local state and federal levels, Creating appointments and socializing in government. I must tell you, governance is all about socialization. They say politics is social- political and it helps enhance your people, build your people and launch your people into a realm that they never think they can get to and that is what I stand for as a candidate for Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.

Q: How do you intend to address the challenges faced by the community, such as infrastructure, security, and healthcare?

A: For the security I would say, our security needs to be localized. I won’t go so deep into some affiliation that I belong to about the localization of security but I know what is functional. Recently, you see the outburst of State Policing is becoming a topical issue, why? Because they belief you can only police or secure people if you are part of that community. I think we’ve gone past bringing a Sokoto born DPO to come and police Ayobo-Ipaja for us. We have local people that can do it. I won’t go into details because all these are scripted for the security purpose of Ayobo-Ipaja.

On Infrastructural development, you can see how the road outlook will be with the LG autonomy. What I know before is that, every LGA and LCDAs is empowered for grading, and making of interjectory roads that cut across streets such thing is yet to be achieved. We can bring in an investor, that can help us achieve some of all these for Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.

The third one you ask about the people, talk of entrepreneurship, the only thing we can do now is that, we have milestones of relationship across what is reigning in the cartel of entrepreneurship that the youths are interested in such as Information Technology, Investment drive and Artificial Intelligence. The youths are no longer interested in learning of hairdressing or Gele tying but rather catch them young with their choice and that is why I am vying.

Q: What is your vision for the economic growth and empowerment of the people of Ayobo- Ipaja?

A: Has there ever been anytime we had an investment exhibition? No, it has never happened in the history of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA and our people are into trading. There is some cultural trading that is affiliated with the people apart from being an Agrarian Place. There are some trades that we can connect them through an investment hub or exhibition or rather stakeholder forum where people can get impact and transact their business from there. No business survives as an Island unless it is affiliated to another business. Merger will be possible, business coalition will be possible and getting affiliate products from all these their trades will be possible when we bring in such investment forum to Ayobo- Ipaja LCDA.

Q How do you plan to engage with the community and ensure their participation in the decision-making process?

A: Yeah I said, Lagos State has an existing structure, community development and leaders . The opinion leaders needed to achieve the very question you ask. There will always be consultative forum, where we will discuss only what pertains to Ayobo-Ipaja.

Q: What sets you apart from other aspirants, and what unique qualities do you bring to the table?

A: What set me apart, I will say looking at my personality, I would have said I have surpass a local or grassroot goverance but because I have not given what I have, so I need to give at the local grassroot before becoming a state leader or national leader. So my experience, party affiliation and been a community man that everybody knows over the years set me apart as the best candidate for Ayobo-Ipaja.

Q: How do you plan to work with the state government and other stakeholders to bring development to Ayobo Ipaja?

A: I said one thing is lacking in Ayobo-Ipaja today which is less socialization. The past government didn’t socialize well. Going to other LCDAs, you will see the kind of rapid development they are experiencing street to street, corner to corner and market to market because my pedigree is a social one that will enable me relate with the State Governor like we are relating to achieve our aims, so a lot is been achieved on a social table.

Q: What is your plan for environmental sustainability and waste management in the area?

A: When Asiwaju was the governor of Lagos state, prior to his ascendency as the governor, there was a lot of waste management problem in Lagos State until Private Sector Participation (PSP) was launched if you are aware of that. This Private Sector Participation, that sustained Lagos to be this cleaner Lagos, is the same thing that we will stand on to achieve a cleaner Ayobo- Ipaja, Cleaner Baruwa, Ayobo and a cleaner Ipaja and at the same time a cleaner Lagos State.

Q: How do you intend to address the issue of youth unemployment and empower the youth in Ayobo Ipaja?

A: Fantastic, I myself have been a youth, pass through the stage and have the same feeling. I have been a youth vanguard for many years and I belong to several youth groups. In fact, what launched me into politics is my youth participation both in school and out of school. What I discover is that the youths have not been well treated in their affairs of running of either the state or federal. But there is a magic one which has got me to this level. There is always a place for every youth to participate or activate talking about job employment. We are going to involve lots of recruiters, consultations with the Local Government where some youths are qualifying to work. I have said it earlier in terms of entrepreneur, youths are not interested in tying of Gele or makeup artist learning again. They engage in lots of cybercrimes this days because the government has failed to give them what they want, so out of this, we are bringing in AI Training that will make them put all they know into practice in terms of Robotic Analytics which is my present area of specialty and I can tell you .I have contacts that cut across the globe to achieve this.

Q: What is your message to the people of Ayobo Ipaja, and why should they vote for you?

A: I will tell them that they should vote for me because over the years, if we have choose the right candidates, we will not be this backward at this level we are. So I am telling them now that creative governance has come. A time to demystify governance has come. I mean government that is uncommon in terms of exposure, attention to the youth, elders, political leaders and to the entire Ayobo-Ipaja residents.

Q: How do you plan to ensure transparency and accountability in governance?

A: Accountability in governance as I told you means when you expose people to information that they are not privy to before. Some people will say governance is secretive, yes, but the fact remains there are things people should know. Who you are leading should have access to some private information that will assist them to either agree with you or oppose you as their leader. I am bringing an uncommon exposure to governance.

Q: What is your plan for education and healthcare development in Ayobo- Ipaja?

A: When you talk about education, It already have a structure which is the 6-3-3-4. There is a part to be played by the Federal, State and Local government and I want to tell you that to the last, I am going to play every role. All these systems are standardized and they are not just there but because people don’t act upon it or put an effort into it that is why it seem like it doesn’t work so I will execute to the latter whatever priority set for the local government in the educational sector.

Healthcare has gone beyond the parameters they are using to measure it these days, every day we think of outbreaks. How do you control an outbreak when there is no proper back up healthcare for them? There must be an affiliation to a global standard health system so that all these outbreaks can be curb like cholera and other diseases that are at rampage within the grassroots communities. So we are bringing an health care that is uncommon signing agreement in conjunction with the State Government to bring in health care experts all across the board and to make our health care a global standard that we all can be proud of.

Q: How do you intend to address the issue of traffic congestion and transportation in the area?

A: Talking about traffic congestion, I see a lot of indiscriminate parking in the local parlance they will say double parking. And there has never been a time that the LCDA Mayor has come to address this issue. I will find a way to address indiscriminate parking and to lag it up just as it is common within some local governments, a parking lot will be created for Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA WHETHER LEVY OR NO LEVY

Q: What is your plan for community development and social welfare?

A: I said my own empowerment will be super not the common ones but it will be visibly seen. In my first 100 days in office I want to see about 100 youths living in million not in naira but in dollars. Why? Because by then we would have put AI into action. Artitificial Intelligences that makes it look like you are into “Yahoo.”

Secondly, for everyone that has an innovation in Ayobo-Ipaja, we will create an innovate hubs for them to share their ideas together.

Q: How do you plan to ensure the safety and security of the people of Ayobo- Ipaja?

A: I have said earlier that we will engage a lot of local security. Local security is the best you can give to the local people. Somebody cannot come from Sokoto and tell us he wants to police us in Ayobo-Ipaja. I have a lot of affiliation that will analysis the security issue in depth through stakeholder engagement.

Q: What strategy will you implement to promote youth participation in your governance?

A: There is one Executive Director UNICEF and Former Director Peace Corps in the United States Carol Bellamy , she said something sometimes ago that 65% strength of a nation are the youth. Down the line I look at it that they are not only the strength but the engine in every nation. So any nation that plays with that 65% is damned and that is why you see that the damnation has not ended. What Iam thinking to do if elected into office? 65% of my governance will be the youths because that is where you will see innovation, activation for creative governance, ideas on IGR development will be gingered and with that you see creativity coming into play. All over the world, you will see that engagement of the youths in leadership is paramount.

Q: How do you plan to address the menace of drug abuse amongst youths in Ayobo-Ipaja?

A: Firstly, I must commend the recent appointment by the Lagos State Governor , Mr Babajide Sanwoolu. Seeing the pedigree of youths brought into governance through his administration you will know that Youths are not totally bad, there is something that is inherent in idle hand, I will not go into that proverb that says ‘Idle hand is the devil workshop’ it is because the workshop is not conducted. It is because you are not telling them the truth, so how do I escape drug abuse if not because I was been enlightened by a parental guide, community and religious guards. So all these ladders are what we are going to use to reform the youths.

We can counter the devices of the devil as said by the scripture, I believe with all these workshops, telling them that there is nothing to gain in drug abuse or cultism. Either they are badly involved or wrongly socialized all these can be addressed through the workshop.