 |
| Mr. Adesanya, Akoka CDA Chairman |
Akoka is one
of the CDAs in Bariga; it is an old community but an elite haven. This
community play host to University of Lagos, Federal College of Education and
one of the oldest and best secondary school, St. Finbars College. The CDA is a
model to be copy for it consistently features on the best CDA list in Lagos
State. Thus, our resolved to seek out the head macho of the CDA to find out
what their winning formula is so that other CDAs can follow suit in developing of
their community. Mr. Adesanya is a community man at heart, who loves to lead by
example, he told Commune Magazine, Ola Pat, how they work the magic. Excerpt.
Why is there little or no development at the community level?
For me, it’s
not about government. No nation, no country can develop without going back to
the foundation. For any nation to develop, we must go back to the community. If
there is no community, there will be no nation. If only every community will
look inward, it will be better for this nation. I don’t believe in the
philosophy that government must do everything. When you go to all these
developed nations, its people there that stand out and stick their neck out to
develop their communities. Once every community is developed, the whole nation
is developed. Am not saying government should not do what it’s set up to do but
at lease people that live in the community should do their part.
How do we start the reforms?
Is by people
coming together to look at what is the problem in the community and fix it. You
start from the drainages, traffic and the dirty environment, one or two people
coming together. It is not possible to have everybody come onboard but you must
have someone to pick up the gauntlet and says okay can we do this or can we do
that. That is how its starts, Rome was not built in a day. It is little by
little, step by step that we got to where we are. At Akoka Community
Development Area, CDA we started somehow and before you know it, it’s become a
force. It becomes a gang, let me use that word. And it’s not as if everybody is
participating but at least we have a group of people who are interested in the
progress of the community. And more people are still joining the group.
What set Akoka CDA apart?
When we
started, we have a focus on what we want to do. Most of the time, most of the
CDAs have been politicized. Some of the leadership of the CDAs are using it as
a springboard into politics. From the onset, majority of us are not interested
in politics and that make us to be focus because we are just doing it without
expecting any returns. For us, what stands us out is the leadership. When I
said the leadership, I don’t mean just the chairman; we have executive that are
not interested in politics. Their only interest is to serve the community and
they have served well. That is what stands the Akoka CDA out and we are focus.
We set goals and objectives and one by one every year we make sure we achieve
about 70 percent of our goals.
How do you prevent those interested in politics from hijacking
the CDA machinery?
In a
community, you cannot prevent people from joining the CDAs. There is no way you
can prevent them from joining. It has to do with the leadership body language,
when they release that the leadership are not interested in using the platform
for political advantage. A whole lot of them will not be able to come in with
politics on their mind. Is not as if they don’t want to come but basically they
find out that the core of the of the leadership are not interest so they find
it difficult to really come to use the CDA platform for their political
interest, the definition of politics in Nigeria is totally wrong. You are in
politics to serve people but in Nigeria it is the other way round. People serve
themselves and not the community. The CDA has come and its essence is to
develop the community. And that is what we are doing in Akoka CDA. We want to
make a change and for two and half years now even a blind man can feel
something have happened to Akoka.
It was said that you have a model, what is this model and
strategies you are using?
I won’t say
it’s a model. We sat down; we set our objectives and look at what we need in
the community. What is wrong with every street and that is what we are running
with. We just don’t stand up and say okay this is what we are going to do
today. It will surprise you to know we have a master plan for Akoka for the
next ten years. There is a study group we set up headed by Barrister Adekola
and Prof. Awatu. The report is out and I have told everybody that the book will
be useful for every community not just Akoka alone. The book contains the way
to develop our community. It’s a ten years plan and we are just 2 years into
it. So, is not like I have a way of doing things. I set up the study group to
look at the environment and how we can apply our self to it. If every community
will implement that report, Nigeria will be a better nation. But you know it’s
difficult for anyone to push it because somebody is there thinking who are
these people. It’s not as if we have achieved our objectives because the
greatest problem is the people themselves.
It is not easy to make a change, it has to be gradual. In everything,
leadership matters if you have a wrong leader then you won’t have a good
society. There is nothing we are doing that is special, we just sat down and
think of how to help our community and society, that is what we have done.
What has been your experience so far?
It being of
mixed one, because for me, the greatest problem as I have said is the people,
to change people’s orientation. Yet the only constant thing in life is change.
For me, you don’t force people to change, as I have said before, you educate
people. Most of our programme is to educate people, 60 percent of our programme
is on education because if you don’t educate people they won’t believe what you
are saying to them. We have sanitation group that came out every Thursday to
educate people on maintaining good environment. If people are not educated,
they will not be committed to their society.
Let’s talk about security, what has been your community
security problem and what did you do about it?
The issue of
security is the most important as far as Akoka CDA is concern. No matter what
you are doing, if people are not secure, if they cannot sleep in their house,
they will not listen to you. When you say they should come for meetings or do
one or two things. As far as we are concern, the issue of security was
paramount and when you look at security it is multifaceted. It’s not just about
the armed robbers; we have the issue of area boys. We are so lucky; we are able
to map out a plan to put them at bay. For me, those boys are human beings like
us, the only way you can have peace is to relate with them as human beings.
Most community sees them as bad boys, in Akoka they are part and parcel of our
community development. That is why people wonder, when we are building or
repairing roads they don’t come and disturbed because we have been able to
educate them that this road is not for anybody personal use. It is for the
community. So far so good, no contractor that has worked in Akoka will say that
area boys have asked him/her for money.
We just don’t leave them, we educate them, and we talk to them. Last
year, we have about nine of them we open an account for and we make sure they
save the little money they get. As at last year, seven of them have saved
enough to start car hire-purchase business.
Those seven are seeing life differently now and if you look at these
people, it is as if they have never being an area boys before. You don’t see
them fighting, I have not received any bad report about them because they
realized that at the end of the week something is coming to him. Before these
boys don’t have anything to fall back on, that is why some of them do what they
do but now he is sure that about fifty thousand naira is coming into his
account. Now, they are focus and their energy is centered on how to get their
second car. They are not stealing; I told them you don’t have to steal because
you did not steal to buy the first car, so why will you need to steal to buy
the second car. Now they protect this community, they are our first line of
security. If anything is going to happen among them, they will call me and tell
me. So, we will be able to nip it in the bud. I wish every community will see
these boys as part of them. They have absolute trust in me.
In December you organized an award dinner and award night, what
is it all about?
In 201 4, we
rewarded those that have served this community for about 20 years. So this
year, we believe we can’t continue to reward them over and over. So, I suggest
we pick on individuals who have impacted the community much or a role model for
the community. And, we look at Honourable Ade Ipaye, he was commissioner in
Lagos for about four years. We know Nigerians once you become a commissioner
you move to the commissioners’ quarters. This man lives all the 16 year he was
in government in Akoka. He never for one day leaves Akoka for government
quarters. He is a man that attended every community programme from CDA’s
meeting apart from when he is out of town. For a commissioner to come and sit
down at a community meeting you should know the level that kind of man is. And
for us in Akoka, he is a role model for that alone. Hardly will you see
somebody that is a Director General in government, even a Director will tell
you I cannot sit down with riff raffs. But this man will come to every meeting.
I use to tell people that if every person in government is like Ipaye, this
country will be better. It is not because he is the chief of staff now that is
why we want to celebrate him. No, we want to celebrate him because everybody
agreed that he had contributed to Akoka development and he is a role model we
must promote as a community. Hon Ipaye is an embodiment of faithfulness and
loyalty to his community.
Is there any advantage to the community for producing somebody
like Hon Ipaye?
You will
agree with me that there is no way we will achieve so much if there is no body
in government to assist us. If you know this kind of person he doesn't
like to influences decisions. Whenever we want to do something, he will say
bring your letter and he will sign on it. Once the letter gets anywhere and
they see his signature, we get responses. All he would write on the letter is
"I live in this community, kindly assist ". He is not going to do
more than that. He has really imparted this community; he has helped us a lot.
His being a chief of staff to the vice president is a plus to this community,
because when people ask him where do you live. He wouldn't tell them he lives
in Sokoto or Kano, he will tell them he lives in Lagos. If they ask him where in
Lagos, I am sure he will tell them “I live in Akoka”. And for us, we basically
decided to celebrate him. It is not when people die that you celebrate them.
For
you to provide such great leadership, you must have had some experience. What
are your experiences?
Leadership
is not what you learn from anywhere, it is God's talent and gift. But,
everybody cannot be a leader. That is the problem with the country, everybody thinks
once they are rich they are leader and they seek for political post. And nobody
even question them, where are you coming from? What have you done? From my
primary and secondary schools, it has always been like that to serve my school,
to serve my community. I I want my environment to feel my impact. I was also
small junior captain of the football team from when I was in form three until
form five when I became the captain proper. I was in the camp of the first Nigeria
Under-17 team, but they said I was too small. I was there with Godwin Opara
because we were in the same school. For me, it is what God has put into you and
I don't want to disappoint God because he had given me so much. I have passion
for people; I have passion for the community. I don't want to see people suffering,
it is not about money and who you know. I don't know anybody, I don't have
money but for me it's just a passion. When you are passionate about something,
you also influence others. There are giants living in this community but until
we start the CDA even some of them could not believe this is what I can do.
Like the guy in charge of the traffic, he’s been there for years and he never
believed he can do what he's doing now. It is now for you as a leader to
identify leaders and that is what we have done.
Are
you going into politics after your tenor?
I did not
plan to be CDA chairman, I was just doing my own thing within the community and
the elders sat down that we need a CDA. And I say yes then they said I will be
the chairman. I was the youngest among them and there is no way I can say no to
my community. Though, I will not say yes or no to politics but for me I don't
like politics. Politics is good but I don't like Nigeria politic. The problem
is when good people don't come out to do politics; you have bad people
dominating politics. For now, I don't think
I am interested in politics.
You
have interaction with the youth, what do you think is the problem of the youth?
Youth
problem is a societal problem. A lot of us don't have focus again. Most parents
have left their responsibilities for the youth to cater for themselves. When
you see a young man that have to go to school and at the same time cater for
himself and you ask him to come and do community work. He will ask you, where
is the time? As a society, we must device a means to engage them. At Akoka CDA,
we have different committees. We have the skill acquisition committee that
looks for sponsors; they bring people to train people on different vocational
skills.