By Ndukwe Edward
Lagos West Badagry Leader and member of the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council (GAC), Prince Rabiu Adio Oluwa, has commended the Ifelodun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) administration for sustaining its monthly food palliative and financial empowerment programmes, warning that any attempt to return to fuel subsidy could undermine the economic reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
Oluwa spoke at a well-attended empowerment programme organised by the Ifelodun LCDA, where 2,500 food packs were distributed to vulnerable residents alongside financial support for petty traders.
He also criticised the position attributed to the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who has reportedly advocated a return to fuel subsidy, arguing that such a policy could create fresh economic challenges for the country.
According to Oluwa, the removal of fuel subsidy, although difficult for Nigerians in its initial phase, had increased resources available to local governments and created opportunities for interventions targeted at ordinary citizens.
He said returning to subsidy would not only reverse some of the gains recorded under the present administration but could also place additional pressure on public finances.
“Nearly every month, Hon. Olufemi Akanbi Okeowo provides food palliatives and financial empowerment to ordinary constituents of Ifelodun LCDA. These interventions demonstrate that resources made available through the current reforms can be channelled directly to the people,” Oluwa said.
He added that the ability of the council to sustain various empowerment programmes was evidence, in his view, that the benefits of increased allocations could be felt at the grassroots when properly deployed.
Oluwa further expressed confidence that the country would witness greater benefits if the Tinubu administration was given another term, while urging Nigerians to assess the impact of ongoing reforms and government interventions.
‘This is Fuel Subsidy Removal at Work’
Also speaking at the event, the programme anchor and Director of Public Affairs, Ifelodun LCDA, Lanre Babatunde, described the council’s interventions as a practical demonstration of how resources arising from subsidy reforms could be deployed at the grassroots.
“This programme is fuel subsidy removal at work in Ifelodun,” Babatunde said.
He explained that the various interventions of the council were designed to cushion the effect of economic hardship while empowering residents to become more economically active.
The lawmaker representing Constituency 01 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Luqman Saaid Olumoh, also endorsed Oluwa’s position, urging residents to support APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Olumoh argued that several interventions currently being witnessed across the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency were either unavailable or less pronounced in previous years.
He linked the council’s capacity to provide cash empowerment, food support and other social interventions to the increased resources available to local governments following the removal of fuel subsidy.
Okeowo Appoints 250 More Aides
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Ifelodun LCDA, Mayor Dr. Olufemi Akanbi Okeowo, has appointed an additional 250 Special Assistants (SAs) and Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) as part of efforts to strengthen governance and improve service delivery across the council.
The latest appointments came barely a month after the council chairman appointed 128 SAs and SSAs.
Presenting the appointment letters at the empowerment programme, Okeowo said the appointments were intended to deepen grassroots participation and ensure that government policies and programmes reached residents across the various wards.
He said the newly appointed aides would complement the council’s efforts in infrastructure development, healthcare, education, youth empowerment, environmental sustainability, sports and social welfare.
Okeowo charged the appointees to work closely with the administration and contribute meaningfully to the development of the LCDA.
2,500 Households Receive Food Support
The council chairman also disclosed that his administration had introduced a range of social intervention programmes aimed at cushioning the impact of economic hardship on vulnerable residents.
According to him, the council currently provides N10,000 monthly conditional cash transfers to 1,200 households across its wards.
He added that the council’s OkeMoney initiative provides N100,000 monthly business support to 100 petty traders, while another 2,500 households receive food palliatives.
Okeowo attributed the council’s ability to sustain the interventions partly to increased allocations to local governments following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He said the resources had enabled the council to expand interventions in healthcare, education, infrastructure, youth empowerment and social welfare.
“The increased allocations have enabled us to provide healthcare, free education, empowerment, palliatives and infrastructure to our people,” he said.
Okeowo maintained that the removal of fuel subsidy had addressed what he described as a major drain on the nation’s finances, arguing that resources previously committed to subsidy payments could now be redirected towards development and grassroots interventions.
Leaders Honoured as Peace Ambassadors
In recognition of their contributions to peace and community development, the National Association of Ex- and Serving Councilors Forum decorated Mayor Dr. Olufemi Akanbi Okeowo, Prince Rabiu Adio Oluwa and Hon. Luqman Saaid Olumoh as Peace Ambassadors.
The recognition formed part of the activities at the event, which brought together political leaders, community stakeholders, residents, beneficiaries and government officials.
The development underscores the growing emphasis on grassroots empowerment and social intervention programmes as local governments grapple with the economic pressures confronting residents.
