Residents of FESTAC Town and Amuwo Odofin have been urged to join hands with lawmakers and community leaders to sustain the revival of their neighbourhoods.
  
The member representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Stella Osafile, gave the charge at the maiden end-of-year dinner and community builder award ceremony organised by the Take Back FESTAC initiative.
  
Osafile assured the residents of her commitment to champion strategic lobbying on their behalf, describing the process as “ongoing and result-oriented.”
  
She emphasised that development requires collaboration and consistent engagement with the executive.
  
“We are cooking something. Nobody wants to know how you bought the ingredients or how you lit the fire. What they want to see is the soup. And it is my prayer that what we are cooking — the work between the legislator and the executive — will materialise. You will be alive to see it happen,” she said.
 
She noted that lawmakers do not directly construct roads or execute projects. Instead, they lobby the executive, advocate through budgets, and monitor implementation to ensure communities are prioritised. 
 
According to her, FESTAC’s growth depends on continuous engagement between the legislative and executive arms of government.
  
Also speaking, President of Take Back FESTAC, Valentine Ayodele Udu’ebo, described the group’s efforts as a gradual process, pegging the current achievement at 25 per cent.
  
“It’s a gradual process. We are not apostles of microwave or rocket science development. We love things done patiently and in due time. We are not concerned with speed; we focus on achievements,” he said.
  
Udu’ebo stressed that the initiative is apolitical and community-driven, noting that none of the awardees are politicians.
 
He said: “From 1977, nothing like this has ever happened, not in Amuwo. What you hear in Lagos are awards to politicians, people we entrust with our taxpayers’ money to build environments. So, why would we want to honour someone we are employing?”
  
He added that awardees were selected after “serious and significant census and questionnaire surveys” and included individuals who have invested in hotels, industries, and businesses employing dozens of people.

“You build a three-star hotel with a minimum of 30 to 40 employees — that’s not just an environment. Some have companies that produce, industries that employ even more people, and they keep doing it. No government has ever said thank you to them. We deemed it appropriate to say thank you,” he said.
  
Meanwhile, a member of the Take Back FESTAC executive, Dr Dumebi Owa, called for a revival of humility, integrity, and competence in Nigerian leadership, saying: “Take Back FESTAC is more than an infrastructure initiative; it is a moral and cultural reconstruction project aimed at restoring values and fostering sustainable development within FESTAC and its environs.”
  
An awardee, Folorunsho Ola-Western, said the recognition was both an honour and a motivation.
  
“More awards mean more responsibility and more intensive delivery of services. Leadership and service are more than political offices; it is a determination to continue being active despite the presence or absence of an office,” he said.
  
Dr Jude Ukusare also praised the recognition, describing it as significant because it came from the community, and pledged to collaborate with Take Back FESTAC through his foundation.
  
Other awardees included Chief Anderson Uhuegbu, Prince Obape, Chief Okoye, and Chief Nwosu.