COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN ONDO NORTH HOLDS INAUGURAL MEETING, APPLAUDS GOVERNOR AIYEDATIWA FOR HIS COMMITMENT TO STATE DEVELOPMENT
The Advisory Committee constituted by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa on Community Engagement, Hon. Bode Obanla today convened its inaugural meeting at the BON Royal Parklyne Hotel in Ijapo, Akure. The 18-member committee, led by Hon. Timilehin Adelegbe, the representative for Ose/Owo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, aims to scrutinize and harmonize reports from various community engagements conducted by the SSA’s office across the electoral wards in Ondo North.
In his opening remarks, Hon. Bode Obanla, the SSA on Community Engagement (Ondo North), underscored the critical importance of the committee’s work. He shared that Governor Aiyedatiwa had tasked him with thoroughly assessing the immediate needs of the communities in Ondo North, prioritizing their concerns. To this end, he engaged with community leaders, party affiliates, and local government chairpersons to chart a path for community development before deploying personnel for fieldwork. The findings from these engagements are set to be refined by the Advisory Committee and subsequently submitted to the Governor.
In his inaugural address, Chairman Hon. Timilehin Adelegbe praised the SSA’s initiative as a significant departure from past practices where government projects often lacked community input. He emphasized that this administration, under Governor Aiyedatiwa’s visionary leadership, has adopted a bottom-up governance approach, ensuring that community voices are heard and their needs addressed.
This approach, he noted, not only promotes inclusivity but also enhances the effectiveness of government interventions, ensuring they are tailored to the pressing needs of the populace. The Advisory Committee’s responsibility is to analyze and harmonize the feedback from the engagements, integrating it into government plans in a way that resonates with community aspirations.
Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, the committee’s Secretary, expressed confidence in the ability of members to deliver on this important mandate. He commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for the shift towards a more participatory project formulation and execution model, highlighting the necessity of a bottom-up approach for driving development, especially in rural areas.
In closing, Hon. Babatunde thanked all representatives from the six local government areas of Ondo North for their dedication and urged participants to intensify their efforts in supporting Governor Aiyedatiwa’s upcoming re-election bid on November 16.
This inaugural session marks a crucial advancement towards fostering stronger community engagement and ensuring that government initiatives align with the genuine needs of the people of Ondo State.
