Any hope of democracy dividends?
SIR: On behalf of the vast majority of the people inhabiting Isuti area of Egan Town in Alimosho (Igando/Ikotun) Local Government Council of Lagos State, I feel compelled to call the attention of governments at various levels (federal, state and local) to the precarious condition under which people of the area live.
Starting with electricity to which a lot of things that make for comfortable living is anchored, it is disheartening to note that all efforts to make NEPA authorities give us more transformers to relieve the only one transformer installed in the community (located around Oroki junction of Isuti Road) since 1997 or thereabout, have not produced any fruitful result yet.
The argument of top officials of NEPA at both Alausa and Okota with whom we have been dialoguing over this issue appears quite puerile and shows lack of human feelings. Apart from the excuse of no materials all the time, they equally harp on the question of revenue already accruing from the area making request and its future potential.
In all honesty and for an issue such as electricity is it revenue generation capability of the area concerned that should be the only concern of these officials, or provision of quality service for the welfare of the citizens which will in turn engender good revenue for the organisation?
What I have said about electricity light, goes for road. The main Isuti road is an eyesore, the so-called gutters dug on both sides of the road came about through communal efforts about two years ago. The area as vast as it is cannot boast of a single public primary and secondary school. Every resident has to depend on private schools both primary and secondary. No single health institution owned by the government apart from private ones and no organised market.
Interestingly, in the last couple of days one has been seeing members of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) brigade of the state government coming to the place, this is, however, aside from staff of the local government who I understand used to come for toll collections on buildings being constructed. This is the only visible government presence in the whole community.
Ideally, it is the duty of government through its various agencies to provide infrastructure for the economic and social well-being of the citizens and not the other way round. Our leaders no doubt should know this as they frequently travel to other parts of the world, I mean civilised world, where they see it happen.
It is on this note that one asks the question, is there any hope of democracy dividends for the teeming masses of this community? And who precisely will help us prevail on NEPA authorities to drop their hard stance and become more human thus hearken to the cry of the community. Doing so will certainly make them smile to the bank each month if their officials/agents will perform their duties accordingly. For other social services highlighted earlier, we are eagerly waiting for those concerned at all levels of government to come to our aid in due course.
S.O. Oyewunmi, Lagos
