The caretaker chairman of Ibadan West Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Honourable Yomi Ade Adefusi has stated that his major aim of joining politics is to give service to the teeming populace.

Hon. Adefusi stated this while featuring as a guest on the programme ';';Community Today';'; on CEOAfrica online TV. The caretaker chairman noted, that politics is not an avenue to gain wealth but rather a platform to reach out to the masses who are expectants of the dividends of democracy. Hon. Adefusi noted, that those who go into politics to make money at the expense of the masses will end up as paupers.

The former adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi who claimed to be a major beneficiary of free education and school feeding programme of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the seventies, called on politicians to always see politics as a veritable tool to give hope to the hopeless in the society.

';';I look at it as a platform to reach the masses easier. If I';m not the chairman you won';t call me but that position gave me a leverage and I believe from there I can touch more. One, politics is to give service. Those who go there to make money, they will end up as a pauper because it';s to render service. I';m from a very humble background but I';ve been privileged. I went through free technical education when they were sending people to Russia. We started at Idah in 1977. For good two years I was eating free of charge, they lay our bed and everything. So I';m there to give service';';.

On his effort at generating revenue for his LCDA, Hon. Adefusi noted, that strategies have been put in place to ensure quick compliance with revenue generation across the LCDA. The pioneer caretaker chairman went further to say, that his government has been going round discussing with shop owners, market women, motorcyclists popularly known as okada riders to sensitize them on the need to pay tax.

Other strategies being put in place according to Hon. Adefusi to ensure wider revenue generation include, collaboration with shop owners to get solar power, conducting population census to ascertain the number of shops in Aleshinloye International market. He also noted, that discussions are ongoing with some banks to have their ATM stand at the Aleshinloye International market all in a bid to facilitate sales.

LG autonomy is necessary

Responding to a question on local government autonomy in Nigeria, Hon. Adefusi stated that the agitation for local government autonomy is necessary in the country to facilitate rapid developments across the local government areas in the country.

He however frowned at the situation where such autonomy will be abused since the state no longer have control over the local government. Also, Hon. Adefusi noted that paucity of funds for development in some local governments may be witnessed especially those that have no means of generating adequate revenue.

Hon. Adefusi who strongly believed that the agitation for autonomy is a two way traffic, expressed fear over the attitude of some individual in hijacking the system which according to him will not ensure development at the grassroot level. He also opined that with local government autonomy, there will be more responsibilitites on the shoulder of the local government even with the meagre revenue some will generate.

Hon Adefusi while describing autonomy as a child of necessity, he also called for attitudinal change to ensure practical results that will go with local government autonomy across the country.

On his achievements within his nine months in office as the caretaker chairman of Ibadan West LCDA, Hon. Adefusi stated that though paucity of fund has hit the LCDA so hard but he has been able to take the government closer to the people through some landmark achievements recorded so far.

According to the caretaker chairman, training on close circuit television (CCTV) has been organised, grading of roads across the LCDA, renovation of boreholes, renovation of dilapidated toilets across some market places in the LCDA, putting in place health insurance scheme, construction of boheholes. Also, according to the Hon. Adefusi plans are ground to renovate some primary schools within the LCDA including St. Michael Primary School.