The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor) has pledged N500,000 towards Abesan Estate Residents Association’s plan to erect the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande’s statue in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the estate.
Adediran and his running mate, Olufunke Akindele, who flagged off their campaign at the Akowonjo area in Alimosho LGA, had been touring various wards and meeting with stakeholders to seek their support ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He pledged the amount when his campaign train came to the Abesan estate and its leadership informed him of the association’s proposed plan to erect Jakande’s statue in commemoration of the estate’s 40th anniversary in December.
Earlier, the President of the association, Chief Michael Kehinde, told the PDP candidate that the residents were facing security challenges because of numerous entries and exits in the estate.
Kehinde said that plans were in top gear to mark the 40th anniversary of the estate with a plan to erect the statue of the late Jakande, the first Executive Governor of Lagos State who built the estate.
“We also want to celebrate the 40 years of the existence of our estate. We have a lot of programmes among which is our plan to erect the statue of late Alhaji Jakande in our estate,” Kehinde said.
He said that the 40th anniversary programmes would start from the 10th to the 18th of December 2022.
Speaking further, the estate president said that when the Ipaja road was bad and under construction, the state government diverted the traffic into the estate, which worsened the road conditions, but failed to repair the inner roads after the construction.
According to him, after the construction, the Estate gate is still open to various traffic,the development, which he said has affected security.
“Now, people pass through this estate any time of the day which has made it extremely porous. The residents association leadership does not have any control over movement in and out.
“We are putting across to you the security issue which is our major concern. We are also challenged with infrastructure decay in this estate. We need support for education also,” he said.
Kehinde, who assured Jandor of support in the election, commended him for his generosity towards the erection of Jakande’s statue in the estate.
Responding, the PDP candidate said that when he emerged victorious in the election, action would be taken to address challenges facing the estate and the entire state, saying that he would work with the association’s leadership.
He said that his vision was to truly make the state’s wealth work for all residents and reflect in their lives.
He said that his seven-point programme tagged: ‘WEALTHY’ comprising: Works, Housing & Road Infrastructure; Education; Aquaculture & Ease of Doing Business; Law, Order & Security; Tourism, Transport & Traffic Management; Health & Environment; and Youth, Women and Social Development.
He assured residents of his determination to create more jobs and protect them through people’s oriented policies.
Also, in an interactive session with traditional rulers and Akinogun Residents Association at Shagari Estate, Adediran promised to improve the physical infrastructure of the area when he emerged as the governor of the state.
The campaigns that kicked off at 9.00 am at Akowonjo Area of Alimosho LGA were rounded up at about 6.00 p.m.
The PDP campaign team in a carnival-like atmosphere visited various parts of the council area, meeting with traders, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and community leaders to solicit the support of the electorate during the elections in 2023.
Jandor and his campaign team have planned to spend three days in Alimosho LGA before moving to other local government areas.
