The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor, Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO), Mr Afolabi Ayantayo, says Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and predecessors have invested heavily in Agege Local Government Area.
Ayantayo, Chairman, Agege Day Celebration Committee, disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday to unveil activities for the celebration of Agege Day in the area.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu’s administration has further improved on past administrations’ investments in various sectors of the social lives of the people of Agege in the area of education, security, infrastructure, poverty alleviation, health, transportation and a host of others.
He said that Agege town had grown from an ancestral settlement to a cosmopolitan township, attracting settlers from within and outside the country, with estimated population standing at over a million people.
“With the advent of democracy, especially in the last 23 years, the township has begun to count its blessings in terms of infrastructural, social and economic development, not leaving out the political and communal cohesion that have brought peace, tranquility and progress to the town,” he said.
The aide listed Sanwo-Olu’s⁴⁴⁴21 feats in the council to include Pen Cinema Bridge, massive road construction, educational innovative, ongoing Red Line rail project among others.
Ayantayo commended the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa for be instrumental to the realisation of several benefits Agege had benefited for the administration, describing the speaker as “the brand ambassador of our humble town”.
On Agege Day Celebration, the chairman said that the week long event was “to commemorate the conquering spirit of Agege people, and build on the unity and progress that have been achieved so far”.
He said that Agege had produced prominent personalities from all walks of life which the committee would reel out their names and confer with various categories of prizes and awards in recognition of their contributions on the day.
“In taking stocks of the struggles of the past, and modest achievements recorded so far, we, the people of Agege have decided to celebrate our journey, our resilience, our conquests, our strides and our victory over adversities, our unity over disunity, the forbearance, bravery and undying spirit of survival, of never losing hope, and of the belief in a better future.
“This committee was set up to implement the various programmes that have been slated for the celebrations.
“We, members of the committee, have decided to launch our programmes and schedules before the world so that everyone might rejoice and celebrate with us,” Ayantayo said.
According to him, all hands must be on deck to guarantee a hitch free celebration that will educate, entertain, illuminate and excite the entire populace and well-wishers who will be welcomed to felicitate with us from across the world.
“We have hordes of accomplished Agege indigenes in the diaspora who are looking forward to felicitating with the rest of us that are home based,” he said.
Ayantayo said that the celebrations would encompass all aspects of lives of the Agege people namely, religious, cultural, social, education and sports.
On schedule of activities, he said that the committee had fixed Feb. 3 for Jumat Service at Agege Central Mosque and awareness rally.
Ayantayo said that Feb. 5 had been scheduled for Special Sunday Service at St. Saviour’s African Cathedral, while Secondary Schools Debate at Government College, Ipaja Road, Orile-Agege would hold on Feb. 7.
According to him, cultural and traditional display will hold on Feb. 9 at Agege Stadium; Miss Agege Beauty Pageant on Feb. 10 at WAB Event Centre, Capitol Road, Agege, while the Novelty Match/Football Final is fixed for Feb. 12 at Anwar’ul Islam Model College Football Field.
Ayantayo said that the grand finale party/launching of the N500,000,000 Agege Educational Endowment Fund would hold on Feb. 14 at Agege Stadium, JJ Obaremo Road, Keke, Agege. (NAN)
