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By Christopher Oji
In a bold move to up the council’s revenue generation drive, the Executive Chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA , Jimoh Olawale Saliu, yesterday held a stakeholders’ meeting with occupants of Whitesand, a business hub along the Lagos Badagry Expressway, demanding their operational permit or risks eviction.
Jimoh informed the stakeholders, which include:workers of Structure Trade and Investment Company, members of Ifesowapo Whitesand Trailer Park, Oredegbe Whitesand Garage, ABAT Trailer Park and others, that the report he inherited from his predecessor on payment of revenue from them to the Council is unfavourable.
According to the LCDA helmsman, the report shows that some of them do remit peanut from the huge amount generated,while others do not.
Emphasising that he is a symbol that represents both the Federal and State Government, the LCDA boss warned that any occupant or owners of business concern that fails to cooperate with the LCDA will be sent packing.
Jimoh disclosed that his administration had offered free Summer Coaching Classes, distributed free GCE forms to students, who are presently under going extra moral classes in preparation for the GCE examination. He remarked that the revenue available to the Council is not enough to pay the staff, including the political appointees, stressing that it will not be business as usual.
While showing compassion, Jimoh asked those who claimed to have operational permit documents to present them at the next meeting, while those without permit should approach the Council for regularization.
Speaking at the occasion, the Council Treasurer Badmus Shuaib reiterated the stands of Jimoh on the importance of the stakeholders to come into the net of the Council revenue drive for optimum IGR generation into the Council purse.
In his contributions, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Orile Police Station, CSP Bello Taofeek, emphasised the need to streamline the activities of operators for peace to reign in the area, adding that issues earlier brought before him had been resolved amicably.
In his defence, the representative of Structure Trade and Investment Company, claimed that the company possesses operational permit documents from the Federal Government and do make payment to Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), but failed to substantiate his claim with documents and receipt of payments.
However, the representative of Ifesowapo Whitesand Trailer Park rendered approval documents issued by the Lagos State Government and evidence of some payments, which according to the Council Treasurer, would be subjected to investigation.
The representative of the Alajegboro Truck Owners, said they were evicted from the Ijora Olopa under bridge and have not been making payment to Apapa-Iganmu LCDA since they started business operation in the area.
Also speaking, the representative of the Refuse Scavenger Group, comrade Isuke stated that they have neither been making payment to the Council nor the Badia East CDA, but operating under the leadership of the latter.
In his comment, the leader of the Oil dealers group Mr. Taofeek Adetona assured the LCDA Chairman Hon. Jimoh that the issues raised will be looked into by the stakeholders and the needful done.
Present at the meeting were the Council Engineer, HOD Budget, Education, Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Hakeem ,Chief of Staff to the LCDA Chairman Mr. Fatai Olanrewwaju, Public Affairs, the Chief Security Adviser Mr. Adeshina Adeleke amongst others.
