Hon. Robert Olumole Akande & Grassroot Development In Akoko-Edo LGA -By Albert Afeso Akanbi

Even the Holy Book supports the idea that when a people lack men with ideas who can run with laudable visions, they perish. This is not a prophecy of doom, it is simply a statement of fact because, for a lack of vision and ideas, development and growth often elude a people. And in such a situation, poverty and lack becomes the order of the day.

In view of the above and having met Hon. Robert Akande and visited his community of Ogugu a number of times, having listened to everyday people of the town speak about him, I decided an assessment of the Ogugu-born Honourable, his vision and mission for the great people of Akoko-Edo LGA, which is very clear and straight forward by the way, has become necessary. In this piece, at the risk of sounding partisan, I shall take a look at his self-assigned vision and mission and attach some of the projects he has used his political connections and tentacles to influence to his community of Ogugu, something I verified upon my visit to the community, and this is the major reason I decided to do this piece.  And I must state here also that, I have spoken with a number of key political players in Akoko-Edo LGA, and their testimonies about the man suggests someone with integrity and the desire to serve. For example, former Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor who himself has brought development to his own community of Igarra, Chief Taiwo Akerele said the following about Hon. Akande:

“Hon. Robert Akande is a man with passion for his community. I remember when I was managing the World Bank Assisted Project in Benin between 2011 and 2016, he visited me a couple of times. Whenever he visits me, his focus is always on how to bring development to his people. He continued this drive and pressure when I became Chief of Staff. When the opportunity came, we had no choice than to cave in to his pressure, and today, the rest is history as far as Ogugu community is concerned. If every community has selfless and passionate individuals like Hon. Akande, the story of Akoko-Edo would have changed for the better. He has etched his name in the everlasting history of Ogugu community. I wish him well.

The very first time I met Hon. Akande, what I took away from that meeting was his personal slogan which is; “Ideas make great men and great men make great nations”. And at any place or opportunity the man gets to voice this line, he would often cite nations like Kenya, Uganda, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Malaysia as examples of the axiomatic truth of the above line. He insists that in these countries, men with ideas and vision have been able to turn around the economic and social fortunes and conditions of their people, not because they possess a magic wand, but because they run with ideas and vision which their people bought into.

Akoko-Edo as a land that is blessed with all the necessary ingredients for growth and development, except leadership if you ask me, must understand that the time has come for the people of the area to engage the services of pragmatic and selfless men in matters of governance, in the area. And to show that he is prepared for the task ahead, the man Akande has promised that he would apply modern solutions to the problems besetting the LGA. His appeal to his people is that, if they are looking for a capable and ready servant leader, he is the man they should support.

In my interaction with him, he has not only promised to team up with like-minded people, he has also sworn to use their help for the total eradication of poverty, ignorance, and illiteracy in Akoko-Edo LGA if given the chance. He has promised the arrest of the precarious state of political decay, economic dislocation, deprivation, social degradation, cultural subjugation and the moral bankruptcy that has taken over the LGA. He has vowed not to rest until the afore-mentioned social contracts which he willingly marshalled out on behalf of the people, is reached and signed with the people of the area.

In view of this, I can confidently say I trust Hon. Akande because I have seen the record of his antecedents. In his primary constituency Ogugu, there exist visible tell-tale signs of the projects he has brought to his people as his records. And that is not just for his community, but his works are visible in the entire Akoko-Edo LGA.

As a veteran Politician with three-decades’ on-the-job experience, he told me his philosophy is the creation of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of the people in his constituency. He insists that he has all the qualities of a great leader which are, reliability, consistency, dependability and that he is a detribalized politician with friends across the LGA, and that he is a man who is always ready to work with people of like mind. He has also promised that the people can rest assure that he will run a people friendly and people centric government, where the people themselves will be stakeholders in the way their affairs is run, they will be given a chance, through their representatives, to come up with ideas and suggestions for their own governance.

Hon. Robert Akande as a candidate in the forthcoming local government elections in the area, deserves the support and vote of every well-meaning Akoko-Edo person.

God bless Akoko-Edo LGA.

Below are a list of projects the Honourable facilitated to his community.

• 40 Open market stalls constructed by Community Social Development Project (CSDP)
• Construction of a modern examination hall with furniture by CSDP
• Construction of 3 classrooms block with Principal’s office and toilet by CSDP
• Renovation of 3 classroom blocks by CSDP
• Construction of Science Labouratory building by CSDP, all of the above are cited at Ogugu Secondary School, Ogugu, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State.
• Construction of a 3.27 kilometers Ogugu Road by Edo SEEFOR.
• Electrification of Ogugu community by Edo State Government.
• Provision of a borehole by Akoko-Edo LGA of Edo State.