Orile Agege LCDA Boss, Hon. Idowu Akinola Launches Electric Vehicles To Cut Transportation Cost, Create Jobs For Residents ...As Lagos State Govt, Saheed Mosadoluwa Commend Innovative Idea

Yomi Durojaye 

...As Lagos State Govt, Saheed Mosadoluwa Commend Innovative Idea

The Executive Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Akinola Abiodun Idowu, has launched a green economy in Orile Agege by introducing electric vehicles and motorcycles as part of efforts to cut down the transportation cost and also to create jobs and equip residents with relevant skills for emerging innovation and technology

Speaking yesterday at the exhibition and launch ceremony of electric vehicles and motorcycles held at the council secretariat, in partnership with Eagle SP Green and Innovations Centre.

The council Chairman said. the initiative was designed to expose residents to emerging transportation technologies and enable them to assess their potential benefits, challenges and business opportunities.

Akinola said rising transportation costs and petrol prices have continued to put pressure on household incomes, particularly among commercial motorcycle operators, traders, artisans and other residents who depend on daily transportation for their livelihoods.

He noted that electric mobility could offer an alternative to conventional petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles, potentially reducing running costs and creating new economic opportunities.

“Transportation is part of our everyday life. Our traders need to move their goods to the market. Our artisans need to get to their places of work. Our workers and business owners spend money moving from one location to another,” he said.

The chairman, however, urged prospective users to consider the purchase price, battery lifespan, replacement costs, charging infrastructure, electricity supply and maintenance requirements before investing in electric vehicles.

He encouraged commercial motorcycle operators, transporters, traders and entrepreneurs to use the exhibition to obtain reliable information and compare the cost of owning and operating electric vehicles with conventional alternatives.

In a keynote address, Hon. Dr. Tajudeen Afolabi (Afoo), Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Political, Legislative and Civil Engagement, commended Chairman Idowu for introducing a forward-looking initiative that promotes clean energy, technology and youth empowerment.

He urged beneficiaries to make productive use of the opportunities provided, describing the programme as an investment in the future of the community.

Also speaking, Hon. Agbaje, representing the Lagos State Governor, praised the Chairman's developmental strides and efforts to improve the welfare and economic prospects of residents.

Former Orile-Agege LCDA Chairman, Hon. Johnson Babatunde  (JSB), also advised beneficiaries to make productive use of the empowerment packages and maintain the equipment properly.

He described the council’s partnership with Eagle SP Green and Innovations Centre as an important step towards technology transfer and skills development to residents of Orile Agege LCDA.

In his goodwill message, a philanthropist and a business mogul, Mr. Saheed Mosadoluwa Audullahi Ibile called for unity among residents and political leaders while commending the Chairman's people-oriented programmes.

He further announced the donation of two plots of land to support developmental projects in Orile-Agege.

In conclusion,  Akinola said said the innovative idea of electric vehicles would with wider adoption could help reduce roadside air pollution and traffic noise in residential areas, markets, schools and other public spaces.

Anti-Grazing Bill: Stakeholders commend Lagos Assembly | AgegePulse Magazine

-Obasa says bill is intended to ensure peaceful co-existence

- Myetti Allah pleads for assistance from Lagos state government 

By Ayodele Ifasakin

Eshilokun

Many stakeholders at a public hearing held at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday, agreed that prohibition of open cattle grazing was the best way for the state to ensure security of lives and property.

This was as the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill was intended to create an atmosphere that would encourage peaceful co-existence among residents.

Obasa, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, said in his keynote address that it was important to address the issue of cattle rearing, especially as it affects security and other human desires.

The Speaker added that the issues involved with the current ways of cattle rearing and open grazing called for concerted efforts for stability and economic development.

"If there is no security, there will be no peace and development. Farmers/herders clash appears to be the oldest. Both the farmers and herders are critical to food stability.

"Both of them affect our health. Their conflicts lead to insecurity and claim lives and properties. We must engage ourselves to make the right decisions," the Speaker said.

Hon. Kehinde Joseph, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, in his remark, said that the proposed law was meant to ensure peace between herders and farmers in the state.

According to Joseph, the proposed law is meant to ensure the registration of herders and prohibition cattle roaming.

"It will forestall herders/farmers clashes and redefine social and economic activities in the state.

"Members of cattle breeders association will be sensitised on the new development and we will ensure strict compliance with the law, when it is passed," he said.

Commenting, the President of the Lagos State Sheep Farmers Association, Alhaji Mustapha Ibrahim, described the bill as all-embracing and would ensure a symbiotic relationship between cattle rearers and farmers.

He also advocated for a legislation to promote the creation of farm estates across the state.

However, in his submission, Zonal Secretary of Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the South West, Meikudi Usman, appealed to the state government for assistance as he noted that ranching is more expensive than open grazing.

Usman, who agreed that there were some criminally-minded herders, argued that raising a cow in one location could increase the price of a cow to as much as N2 million just as he pleaded with the government to subsidise the cost of raising the cattle in one location.

“We agreed with some local chiefs in other states that anyone who wants to rear cow in a location should register and he should indicate when he is leaving.

"A Fulani man moves from one place to another to play his trade, but we have some bad eggs that are causing trouble. The government should allow us to talk to our people that they don't want our cows to destroy people's farmland.

"We have met with stakeholders in Ekiti, Ondo and even Oyo states and we reached agreements with them," he said.

Chairman of Lagos State Butchers Association of Lagos State, Alhaji Alabi Bamidele Kazeem, also advocated for support to cattle breeders arguing that rearing animals in one location could be expensive.