COMMUNITY POLICING CAN WORK: HON. JAMES FALEKE, OJODU COMMUNITY MAKES A GOOD CASE WITH JOINT EFFORT RECONSTRUCTING POLICE STATION LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER ENDSARS DESTRUCTION
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Vice Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Bunmi Oluyadi; Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Rt Hon James Abiodun Faleke; ACP Oludotun Odubona; DPO Ojodu Police Station, CSP Moses Okooro and SP Okon Moses during the Commissioning of the newly constructed Storey Building of Ojodu Police station
While the spate of insecurity continues to increase across the nation, the people of Ojodu community has validated the need for community policing with their joint effort to rebuild the Ojodu Police Station with the huge support of the Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke representing Ikeja Federal Constituency. This happened almost a year after the Endsars protest that led to the destruction of the police facility in the Ojodu community.
The people have shown by stakeholder management, community support, and collaboration with police authority that security situation can improve if Nigeria can allow community policing to thrive.
The commissioning of the brand new one storey adminstrative building Ojodu Police Station which used to be a bungalow but has now been upgraded to a storey-building was held on Monday 27th September 2021 about three weeks before the first anniversary of its destruction. The entire community trooped out in celebration of the big feat.
L-R: Vice Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Bunmi Oluyadi; Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku; DPO Ojodu Police Station, CSP Moses Okooro; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Rt Hon James Abiodun Faleke; ACP Oludotun Odubona during Commissioning of the newly constructed Storey Building of Ojodu Police station
The dignitaries present include Hon. David Segun Odunmbaku, Executive Chairman, Ojodu LCDA; Hon. Bunmi Oluyadi, Vice Chairman, Ojodu LCDA; Chief Matthew Akinsanya Olusola, APC Party Leader; Comrade Kelvin. Ajakaiye, Chairman, APC Caretaker committee, Ojodu LCDA; Alhaja Olusola Kokumo, APC party Leader, Ojodu LCDA; Serving and former Councilllors/Supervisors of Ojodu LCDA; Baale of Agidingbi, Ganiyu Haruna; Baale of Akiode Alh. Sode; Baale Jamiu Amore, and Baale of Ojodu Alh. Aro.
Speaking at the commissioning with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper and other Journalists, Member of the Federal House of Representatives/Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke recalled: ‘The Endsars brought a lot of issues up. To me, my major concern is the unemployment situation that we have found ourselves. How do we address it?’
‘I felt we need to have empowerment as much as possible to take care of our people so that they can have things to do.
L-R: Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Rt Hon James Abiodun Faleke; ACP Oludotun Odubona and Chairman of Ojodu Landlord Association, Alhaji Sanni during the Commissioning of the newly constructed Storey Building of Ojodu Police station
That is what we embarked upon after the Endsars protest. We will continue to carry out empowerment programmes to engage our youths to keep them busy, create wealth for themselves, and become employers of labour in their own capacity. Of course, we give back to our security agencies, we give them vehicles to assist their movement because many were burnt down, we repaired their offices that were destroyed and we provided cash because many of them lost things during the period.’
On the towering effort of the community, he shared: ‘The entire community came together to reconstruct the police station but they ran out of steam. Even though, they didn’t contact me, I came around and saw what they were doing and so I had to intervene and luckily we were able to complete it. Thank God we are commissioning it today. The furniture that is not enough, the Hon. Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Segun Odunmbaku has promised to provide. And I think that is the way to go when the community shows loves to what is happening in their community. I will like to thank Alh. Sanni for his leadership. We expect better performance of the Police.’
A front view of the newly constructed Ojodu Police station
The Old Ojodu Police Station after the Endsars destruction
Hon. James Faleke gave his nod to community policing, ‘I also want to appeal to the Police Service Commission that when we are recruiting, they should recruit educated people. We have them a lot in our community. There is nothing as good as community policing’.
The Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Segun David Odunmbaku who was also present at the event said: ‘I have to thank our Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. James Faleke for his kind gesture to the community. I have spoken with the DPO that we will provide more furniture. EndSARS has come and gone but I can see the resilience of our people. This is a community effort not a LG effort. It is the community coming together to get it back to what it used to be, even better. It is our duty as government to complement their efforts when opportunities like this come. This is less than a year that this has come. It is something that other LGAs can learn from.’
L-R: Vice Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Bunmi Oluyadi; Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku; Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Rt Hon James Abiodun Faleke; Chairman of Ojodu Landlord Association, Alhaji Sanni; ACP Oludotun Odubona; DPO Ojodu Police Station and CSP Moses Okooro during the Commissioning of the newly constructed Storey Building of Ojodu Police station
The Chairman of Ojodu Landlords Association, Alh. Sanni spoke with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper about how they came up with the idea, ‘We called a stakeholders’ meeting and after that, we came to assess the situation. By November 10, 2020, we started the foundation and when we got to the decking level, our Honorable saw it on our platform. From there, I got a call from our DPO on May 20, 2021 that our Honorable said he will complete the project. We thank him. Not this alone in Ojodu, he has facilitated transformers for us to reduce load shedding of the NEPA.
Hon. James Abiodun Faleke Speaking with Pressmen shortly after the newly constructed Ojodu Police Station commissioning
Since I know him, he has been staying with us in this neighborhood, he can choose to live in Banana Island. God will continue to be with him. Let’s give him our votes. He is the light of Ojodu.’
ACP Oludotun Ojubona, representing CP Hakeem Odumosu at the commissioning said about his principal, ‘Not because he doesn’t appreciate what the community has done, but because of his busy schedule, CP Hakeem Odumosu asked me to represent him here today. On his behalf, I want to say a big thank you to Hon. Faleke, the Chairman of the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives.’
L-R: ACP Oludotun Odubona; Hon. James Abiodun Faleke and Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku
‘I have been in Abuja before and I know that it is not easy. Believe me, he is bringing dividends of democracy to his community. Not only that, he is living in his community unlike others who will stay permanently in Abuja or go and stay in Banana Island.’
‘I want to really thank you because you have proven the proverb of the elders that ‘the king’s palace that is burnt has only brought beauty to it’. This edifice is a beautiful edifice. As I was coming, I said this can’t be the police station because I know how it was before. You know Endsars started exactly October 8 last year, almost a year now. Now we have an edifice standing in replacement of what was destroyed. Though, we will still be like Oliver Twist to ask for more.
L-R: Chairman Ojodu Landlord Association, Alhaji Sanni Welcoming Hon. James Abiodun Faleke for the Police station commissioning
We want a situation whereby the communication system in this station will be on all-day-long. We thank you for the vehicle you have presented to us as well.’
‘Everywhere I go, I see the minibuses you gave to youths. It is Faleke here and Faleke there. Thank you so much for what you are doing for the community. It shows that community policing will work if well-adopted. I thank the Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Odunmbaku as well. Ojodu will not remain the way it is’, ACP Ojubona pushed for community policing as he spoke with Trek Africa Newspaper.
Hon. James Abiodun Faleke greets some of the Ojodu Community Leaders
The DPO of Ojodu Police Station, CSP Moses Okooroh said: ‘Immediately after Endsars, Nigeria was in disillusion. This place was vandalized, vehicles burnt to ashes, no light, water system collapsed, and four offices in front of us burnt.’
‘Hon. Faleke gave us relief, gave us vehicles, restored light, restored water, and then I went to the community that my men don’t have a place to work, they are sitting under mango tree. They said they will assist us. Money is not easy to come by but we thank God that after getting to decking level, Hon. Faleke called me. I don’t know how he got to know about what is happening and then he said that the stage we are, he will complete it. We give glory to God!’
L-R: 
Hon. James Faleke hailed by Ojodu Community Residents
L-R: ACP Oludotun Odubonai; Chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Hon David Segun Odunmbaku and DPO Ojodu Police Station, CSP Moses Okooro
Baale of Ojodu Land, Alhaji Aro (left) 
ACP Oludotun Odubona
