The joy of the people of Agura community in Ikorodu, Lagos State, knew no bounds on Wednesday when light shone for the first time after 21 years of darkness.
The dream of the community was actualised when the member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, inaugurated the transformers she donated to them.
Beside Agura, eight other communities benefitted from the lawmaker’s gift of 15 transformers, which had already been installed.
Other beneficiary communities were Ijede, Ikorodu, Solomade, Imota, Aga, Mowonla, Igbopa, Igangbe and Okoitan.
The communities also benefitted from no fewer than 15 solar-powered boreholes.
Chairman of the Community Development Association in Agura, Chief Saliu Erubami, described Dabiri-Erewa as a worthy ambassador.
He said the last time the community “tasted” dividends of democracy in the area was 21 years ago during the time of the Social Democratic Party.
Erubami said, “It is when our daughter (Dabiri-Erewa) was voted to represent us that we started to have the dividends of democracy again. We have never regretted voting for her and her party.
Also, a community leader in Igbonpa, Pastor Olohunlomotito Stephen, said, “Dabiri-Erewa has proved beyond reasonable doubt that she is worthy of celebration. She is seeing to the welfare of our community in terms of social infrastructure.”
To crown their appreciation to her, people of Okoitan community named one of their longest roads as Abike Dabiri-Erewa Road.
Dabiri-Erewa said politics was about effective representation, assuring them of more dividends of democracy.
She told the communities that House members do not handle project money, saying, “What we do is to table the needs of our people and lobby for their execution without having hands in who the contractors should be.”
“It is the duty of the communities to prioritise their needs out of which we would pick the most pressing one. It is also the communities that would pick the sites for their projects without the interference of their representatives in the House.”
