Kosofe council chief empowers women, youths

Committed to the well-being and development of the residents of his council area, the chairman of Kosofe Local Council, Afolabi Babatunde Sofola, has empowered hundreds of youths and women of his local government with various empowerment tools that include sewing machines, hairdryers, grinding machines, industrial gas cookers among others to engage and enhance their productivity.

The Council Chairman also donated security patrol vehicles to police stations located in the lcouncil to enhance efficiency.Sofola doled out the empowerment tools, while giving account of his stewardship in office in the last two years. He stated that his administration, right from inception, has always placed great premium on the empowerment of residents and would continue to do so with more empowerment programmes.

He said, “Empowerment isn’t about giving people money; it’s about giving them power. One that cannot be taken away from them, and through which they can sustain themselves. When you make an impact in one family, you touch a community, which in turn impacts the nation. And that is what we are trying to do with various programs of this nature. We can only do so much, but hopefully through empowerment you can go the rest of the way yourselves.”

Commending Sofola for organising the poverty alleviation programme, the senator representing Lagos East senatorial district at the national assembly, Senator Bayo Osinowo, expressing delight at the council chairman’s performance in office as Executive Chairman in the last two years.

He said, “The Council Chairman, Sofola, has performed creditably well and justified the trust and confidence the party had in him, which also made the people to re-elect him. I implore the beneficiaries of the empowerment programme to put the tools given to them into good use and desist from selling them off. There are millions of people suffering out there who didn’t have money to acquire what they have been given freely.”

Also commending the council boss over the numerous projects he undertook in the last 2 years in office, member Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Kosofe Constituency 1, Hon. Sanni Babatunde Okanlawon, enjoined him to use the remaining two years of his tenure to focus on building a lasting legacy by constructing iconic projects such as library and Primary Health Centres.

Okanlawon pointed out with dismay that there is no library in the whole of Kosofe local government area, while Araromi/Ifako, which happens to be largest Ward in Kosofe, does not have a Primary Health Centre. He further commended the Chairman for his efforts in organizing empowerment programme and donating patrol vehicles to the police, which he said would enhance security efficiency in Kosofe.He appealed to the beneficiaries to use the tools given to them for productive purposes.

Sofola said his administration has commenced construction of e-library on Emmanuel High Street, Ojota and also plan to have small libraries in some schools. He added that when completed both young and old in the local government would have access to it, as e-library is now the trend all over the world.