TOP CHOICE OF 774: ORILE-AGEGE LCDA CHAIR, HON. JS BABATUNDE FLIES AHEAD AT CITIZENS TOWNHALL ENGAGEMENT
By Oyelami Abayomi, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Executive Chairman, Orile-Agege LCDA, Hon. Johnson Sunday Babatunde receiving an award the Honorable Minister of State, Police Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; as Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone 2, AIG Ari Ali Muhammed (m) looks on… during the Minister’s Town Hall Meeting on Security in Lagos held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.
They say he is only loved by people. They say that he doesn’t know how to play politics. They say he doesn’t even class himself by wearing big, big, expensive clothes. But ‘wisdom is justified of his children’ declares the Holy Book and humility helps, grace promotes.
The Holy Book also added ‘seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men’. This is how Hon. J. S. Babatunde, the Executive Chairman of Orile-Agege LCDA becomes the hero among the more than 774 local councils. Why more than 774? Because even his LCDA have yet to be gazetted into the Nigerian Constitution.
L-R: Private security practitioner, Dr. Adeagbo; Executive Chairman, Orile-Agege LCDA, Hon. Johnson Sunday Babatunde; Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone 2, AIG Ari Ali Muhammed; Honorable Minister of State, Police Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Executive Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Sen. Yunus Abiodun and Chairman, PCRC, Apostle Kehinde Showemimo during the Minister’s Town Hall Meeting on Security in Lagos held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.
However, by the sagacity and insistence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, then the Governor of Lagos State who created 37 LCDAs out of the existing, recognized 20 LGAs, Hon. Johnson Sunday Babatunde has become a hero.
At the maiden Citizens Townhall Engagement on Strengthening Policing in Nigeria hosted by the Honorable Minister (State) of the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, the council boss Hon. J. S. Babatunde stood before the top guns in the security sector of Nigeria, Trek Africa Newspaper can report. This includes the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Sen. Yunus Abiodun; Honorable Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; the Inspector-General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun; the AIG in charge of Zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun), AIG Ari Ali Muhammed; PCRC Chairman in Lagos State, Apostle Kehinde Showemimo; and private security practitioner, Dr. Adeagbo.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Being a grassroots man, Hon. Babatunde was able to hold his own in the panel session which discussed the theme ‘Community Policing: Building A Safer Nigeria Together’.
Hon. Johnson Sunday Babatunde
During the conversation, the highflying LCDA administrator discussed how to get the community to engage meaningfully with the Police being the agency saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law, peace, order and internal security in Nigeria. He also offered unique ideas on how to implement the giant efforts being pursued by the Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim while also hailing the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for his consistency in empowering Lagos-owned security agencies like the Lagos Neighborhood Security Agency (LNSA) among others.
