EXCLUSIVE: HIGHLY UNPRECEDENTED AS HON.OBANLA, SSA TRANSVERSES 2,158KLM ACROSS 67 TOWNS FOR COMMUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENTS.
... PRESENTS REPORTS TO ADVISORY COUNCIL.
... EXCITEMENTS, RENEWED HOPE ENVELOPE ONDO NORTH
History was made on Thursday, 29th August 2024, as HONOURABLE BODE OBANLA, the SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT, SSA, to Gov.Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Community Engagement for Ondo North officially presented the reports of the just concluded integrated conversations carried out by his to the Advisory Committee.
The official presentation, which was held at BON Hotel, Ijapo Estate, Akure, had in attendance eminent political leaders and personalities from Ondo North who trooped in to witness the memorable event.
The event was Chaired by Hon.Timilehin Adelegbe, Member of the House of Representatives representing Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, and Hon.Kolawole Babatunde as Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the Advisory Council.
Hon.Obanla, in his opening address, said the Community Engagement exercise took him and his team 15 days transversing the nooks and crannies of Ondo North, covering over 2,185klm in the district.
Obanla explained in detail their experience and encounters while carrying out the exercise, saying it is very important for him and his team to lay the reports of the community engagement at the desk of the leaders of Ondo North.
Obanla explained further that," it's the duty of the 23-Man Advisory Council to scrutinize and harmonize reports from various communities as collated in the compendium reporting the conduct of the exercise and transform it into an implementable document for the governor.
Obanla underscored the critical importance of the committee’s work, saying that the report contained over 100 pages - the Chronological Order of the itinerary as his first official assignment as SSA in charge of the NorthernDistrictt to Gov. Aiyedatiwa.
'It was the governor who tasked me to go and convene strategic conversations with the people of Ondo North, to assess their immediate needs across all the communities, engaging them to prioritize their concerns and recommend a process for systematic executions or solutions.
To this end, Obanla convened the first genuine, truthful self-appraisal, known as the OSSACE Community Engagement exercise, interfacing with the respective community leaders.
To deliver in real-time on this mandate, Obanla immediately Constituted three strategic Committees, with the Advisory Council of eminent Citizens of Ondo North who are leaders in their rights as the Apex decision-making body.
He also Constituted the Local Government and LG Engagement Committee drawing members from across various wards and Communities, as well as setting up the Media cum Publicity Committees, respectively.
He did not forget to mention how he formed an alliance with the Local Government, LG, and the Local Council, LCDA in conjunction with the Party Chairmen in their various localities, who helped him draw the itinerary. 
In his welcome address, Hon.Adelegbe commended Obanla, the SSA, for this highly innovative initiative, which he described as a significant departure from our mediocrity past and practices.
Adelegbe said this is the first of its kind initiative from an Office of government or a political officeholder to organize an all-encompassing community engagement to find out the people's needs before government roll-out projects.
He emphasized that this administration, under Gov. Aiyedatiwa’s visionary leadership, has proven to be responsible and sincere by adopting the bottom-up approach to governance; also ensuring that community voices are heard and their needs addressed.
Adelegbe emphatically admonished members and guests at the event that their doors are still open for memorandum and advice as the Advisory Council will immediately commence streamlining the bulky report into an implementable document. He promised that he would hold Gov.Ayedatiwa accountable for all the requests made by the people of Ondo North Communities.
Adelegbe concluded that what Obanla has done with his team is highly unprecedented and that it was just an affirmation that both Gov.Ayedatiwa and Obanla are fully prepared for the task ahead to transform Ondo State.
A member of the Advisory Council who is a high-profile Akoko-born but Lagos-based politician, Dr.Oladipupo Okeyomi, observed that the bottom-top approach would not only promote inclusivity but also enhance the effectiveness of government interventions, ensuring they are tailored to address the pressing needs of the communities.
Okeyomi, popularly referred to as Carry-Go by his political admirers, noted that he was not expecting anything lesser from Obanla and that it is now the responsibility of the Advisory Committee to properly analyze the feedback from the engagements and lobby Governor Aiyedatiwa to integrate them into government plans and policies in a way that resonates with community aspirations.
Another respectable leader, former Ondo Commissioner and member of the Advisory Council, Dr.Igbekele Daodu, showered encomium on Obanla for taking such a landmark initiative to quietly revolutionalize the entire Ondo North.
Daodu gave different appellations to the various strategic Committees constituted by Obanla by calling the Advisory Council"Aiyedatiwa Implementation Force" and the LG Engagement Committee "Aiyedatiwa Integrity Force," promising a final delivery of the document to the governor.
Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, the Advisory Council’s Secretary, in his closing remarks, expressed confidence in the ability of members to deliver on this important mandate.
'Amaechi' as Hon.Kolawole was usually addressed, also commended Gov. Aiyedatiwa for the shift towards a more participatory project formulation method and execution model; he further highlighted the necessity of a bottom-up approach for driving development, especially in rural areas.
Babatunde thanked all representatives from the Six Local Govt. Areas of Ondo North for their dedication and urged participants to intensify their efforts in supporting Aiyedatiwa’s upcoming re-election bid on November 16.
To the people of Ondo North, the inaugural session marks a crucial advancement towards fostering stronger future community engagements and ensuring that government initiatives align with the genuine needs of the people of Ondo State.
The entire landscape in the Ondo North Senatorial District is now enveloped with excitement and renewed hope as they optimistically look forward to the implementation of the reports to ameliorate the various sufferings and peculiar community-related challenges.
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