Johnson embarks on campaign to dredge Oke-Afa canal
By Abolaji Adebayo
Member, House of Representatives for Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency II, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson has called on state and federal governments to invest in the constituency to make life easy for the residents.
He said he was working on the government to dredge the Oke-Afa canal so that it could be used for water transportation.
Speaking to Echonews recently, Engr. Johnson, who was once the Lagos State Commissioner for Works & Infrastructures said the canal is currently a death trap.
“The canal in my constituency is supposed to be a very big asset to us but today, it is a death trap. This is because, once there is heavy rain, everywhere would be flooded. I am pushing for the canal to be dredged. If this is done, we can have water transport from Ejigbo to Lagos.”
Other opportunities which Johnson plans to turn to assets for the community include the depot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC at Ejigbo and the Murtala International Aiport, whose management and airlines should source employees from the constituency.
His words: ““NNPC has a depot at Ejigbo and over 50 trucks come there on a daily basis. The road needs to be upgraded. The Okota road that was built by the Petroleum Trust Fund is in need of urgent attention. The Pako-Cele road from Okota is also in very bad shape.
The airport that is in our backyard, like the canal is also supposed to be an asset to us but the reverse has become the case because all that we are getting from the airport is noise pollution. A lot of our children are getting hearing problem because of the noise.
“So, it will not be asking for too much if FAAN begins to recruit a certain percentage of our youths as a way of compensating us. They must not wait until we become militants or begin to carry placards before they would know that people in Oshodi-Isolo need compensation because that can be termed our own crude oil.”
For him to achieve success, Johnson wants to unify the people, hence the generous gifts he gave during the Eid-El Kabir festival.
Johnson said though he was elected under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), he believed that as his constituency is concerned, he has to carry every citizen along irrespective of belief.
“Well, the lesson from Eid-El-Kabir is that of love and peace and there cannot be love when you are discriminating against one another. Electioneering is over and by the grace of God, I now have the mandate of my constituency.
“It is true that I contested under the All Progressives Congress but right now I am representing everybody in Oshodi-Isolo federal constituency II, whether they are in APC, PDP, Accord or the other political parties. That is why I decided to extend my widows mite to them so that all of us would celebrate together.
“I am an advocate for progress and development. But you know that there cannot be progress and development if there is no peace and if the people are not united. Since the election is over, I believe in inclusive representation.”