THE CONCLUDING PART OF FACING FACTS INTERVIEW WITH THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OJODU LCDA ENGR. JULIUS OLUMUYIWA OLORO
LAGOS PANORAMA: Once again, on behalf of the Editorial Board and crew of Lagos Panorama, I wish you a healthy and wealthy birthday. On that note, I want to be a bit personal; what are your achieved goals and what are your future goals that ultimately affect your immediate community?
Hon Julius Oloro: Presently, I am initiating a nongovernmental organization (NGO), Ojodu Grassroots Initiative. I am already reaching out to friends and other support groups abroad. I have highlighted the needs of my people and they are packaging something for me in that area. Let anyone spend 100 years as the Council Chairman, you can’t meet all the yearnings of the people but the NGO is going to be permanent. Like I mentioned earlier, the NGO that built the Ogba-Oluwole Primary School was my initiative. I sent my supervisor to meet and present our request to them so they came and as God would have it, they built a 12 classroom block for us. Now I am liaising with an NGO abroad who are coming with some laudable sustainable development programmes.
This year, I intend to celebrate with the vulnerable people. The special people, those that are in dire need of support. Let me feel what they are feeling. When we visited the orphanage you see an abandoned day old baby and seeing people with disabilities touches my heart. As part of our 500 days programme, we visited the 3 orphanages in Ojodu LCDA and I was able to feel what they are feeling. We are ready to continue to help them both in kind and cash. It gives me joy whenever I meet with them and help them. I usually feel happy whenever I put joy on their faces.
So the NGO will ensure that as long as the LCDA exist they’re going to ensure they assist the vulnerable with cash and in kind even after my tenure and this really give me joy.
Thank God for my life, I am like Joseph who travelled from Israel to Egypt and became a Prime Minister. When I travelled from Ekiti to Lagos I didn’t know anyone, no godfather. I only knew myself and God. All along I have been having challenges. During my first term as Chairman I had challenges, ‘you’re not going to get there’, ‘we will use all we have to stop you…’ but because I have my God, all of a sudden the whole thing changed I became the star-child and ditto my second term came with lots of challenges but because I believe in God, at the end of the day here is where I am today. Now I am made to be a bridge builder in Ojodu and Ikeja as a whole. I thank God for this and lot of people have now realized I am now the one God is using for everyone and I have never had reason to think of whatever anyone had done to me. I take everyone as my family, because I believe they had to do what they did for God to crown me to be here. If they had not done what they did, maybe I wouldn’t have been here so they had to do what they did for me to attain this office so they are my best friends (laugh).
Wow! Quite philosophical. Please what’s your take on the autonomy of the local government administration?
Local governments in Lagos are already practising autonomy. The Abibatu Mogaji Modern Market under construction costs 3 billion Naira and I was the one who signed all necessary approvals and even all our other projects that cost 70 million, 100 million and a host of others; I was the one that signed all the approvals for implementation and execution. Our Governor in Lagos State gives us autonomy both financial autonomy, administrative autonomy what other autonomy you want to derive we enjoy it in Lagos state. Although there are some states that pay only salaries but they cannot embark on any project as a local government. I am planning to construct a ultramodern permanent secretariat is going to take off either this December or January and to be completed by next December. It’s going to take just one year of construction. It’s going to cost the local government 350 million naira. I am going to ensure the implantation is done as planned.
So that is to tell you we have autonomy in local government administration in Lagos sate. When others are still yearning for autonomy we are already enjoy autonomy in Lagos State courtesy of Jagaban, the great Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. When he created the new LCDAs, he created them with the autonomy.
Finally, I am sure you’re aware of the feat recently achieved by the Ikeja AllStars winning the first 5 aside football league in sub-Saharan Africa. What is your advice to aspiring youths into politics or venturing into private business?
Right from my first term in office we have the Ojodu Football club that won the Ikeja Soccer Challenge where the like of Alampaso who is a product of this local government was discovered. The Spelling Bee One Day Governor has also emerged under my administration. The new ultramodern ICE and Oluremi Tinubu Vocational Center commissioned today, are to encourage our teeming youths. We have had several game competitions both indoor and outdoor targeted at our youths so I implore them to key into our programmes for them. 
Thank you so much and it’s nice talking to you.
Thank you for having me.
