Obasa Woos Investors, Says Era Of Violence Is Over In Agege

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The Executive Chairman of Agege Local Government, Hon. Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa (middle) with the Silverbird Group delegation.


The Executive Chairman of Agege Local Government, Hon. Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa, has called for strategic partnerships to improve residents’ quality of life and stimulate socio-economic development in the area.

Obasa said the era when Agege was associated with violence and civil disobedience was over, attributing the change to what he described as inclusive governance and people-oriented programmes.

He spoke while receiving a delegation from the Silverbird Group, led by its Chief Creative Officer, Jacob Akinyemi Johnson, at the council secretariat.

The delegation formally invited the council chairman to the 20th anniversary of the Silverbird Man of the Year Award scheduled to hold at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, in November.

Obasa said his administration, inaugurated in December 2025, had completed 20 roads, inaugurated 17 blocks of modern classrooms and recruited 50 additional teachers.

He said the school facilities included football pitches and libraries, adding that improved educational infrastructure would support students’ academic and extracurricular development.

The chairman also said streetlights had been installed across the council area to improve security, while 40 closed-circuit television cameras had been mounted at strategic locations, with a central control room established for surveillance.

On youth development, Obasa said the council’s empowerment and skills acquisition centres had trained hundreds of young people in vocational areas including information and communication technology, fashion design and photography.

He added that the council had acquired new waste compactors to improve refuse evacuation from major roads and inner streets, while generating ₦8 million in fines from environmental law violators.

In the area of economic empowerment, Obasa said the council had provided ₦100 million in single-digit interest loans to small-scale business owners to support their enterprises and stimulate economic activity.

On healthcare, he said existing primary healthcare centres had been upgraded, while the council had commenced the construction of new facilities, including a general hospital, to reduce residents’ dependence on the Orile-Agege General Hospital.

Obasa said his administration’s vision was to make positive developments a regular feature of Agege, noting the area’s proximity to the international airport and a railway station providing passenger services to Ibadan.

Earlier, Johnson said preparations were underway for the 20th anniversary of the Silverbird Man of the Year Award.

He recalled that the inaugural award was won by the late former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Dora Akunyili, for her campaign against counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria.

Other past recipients, he said, included Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and Mike Adenuga.

Johnson said the organisers later introduced additional categories, including posthumous and lifetime achievement awards, to recognise outstanding contributions across the country.

He explained that recipients in the other categories were selected through nominations, while the Man of the Year award followed a separate selection process.

President Bola Tinubu and former President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, were among recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, according to Johnson.

He also disclosed that the organisers had introduced the Local Government Chairman of the Year Award to recognise what they described as exemplary leadership and its impact on grassroots development.

Other members of the Silverbird delegation were the Chief Operating Officer, Bola Salako; Head of News, Mustapha Issah; and a member of the organising committee, Taiwo Olapade.

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