Ojodu LCDA: Day Gov Sanwo-Olu recognized Odunmbaku’s giant stride in grassroots development

2026-02-21 - 07:46

The day was February 2, 2026. Dignitaries, friends, family members and council chairmen from six local government areas across Lagos State had gathered at a highbrow event centre in GRA Ikeja to honour one of their own who was celebrating his 50th birthday. The celebrant was Hon. David Odunmbaku, the chairman, Ojodu Local Council Development Area. Among those in attendance was the father of the celebrant and a prominent member of the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, Cardinal James Odunmbaku. Seated beside him was the man in charge of activities of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Chief of Staff to the governor, Tayo Ayinde popularly called ‘Buffalo’ by his admirers. It was time to cut the birthday cake and ‘Buffalo’ was saddled with the responsibility of leading the celebrant, his family and children in cutting the cake. However, while the audience was waiting with excitement for the Chief of Staff to count the usual one to three as it is usually done at birthday parties before the cutting of the cake, Tayo Ayinde dropped a statement that confirmed what every Lagosian has been saying about the performance of Hon David Odunmbaku in Ojodu LCDA. Hear what Tayo Ayinde said: “David Olusegun Odunmbaku is one of the best local government chairmen in Lagos State, and the governor is very proud of you.” The loud applause from the audience that followed the statement was an indication of the fast rising profile of the chairman. Tayo Ayinde’s statement is an affirmation of the recognition of the Odunmbaku’s giant stride in grassroots development by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his cabinet members. Ayinde further praised Odunmbaku for his laudable projects and people-oriented initiatives, noting that his administration has set a high standard for local government administration in the state. For the record, that Odunmbaku has achieved a lot both in his first and now second term in office is an understatement. In health, Odunmbaku embarked on rebuilding and rehabilitation of Primary Health Centres, PHC, at Oluwole, Powerline, Akiode, Apata, Gbadamosi and Agidingbi and equipped them with state-of-the-art facilities. Over 600 surgeries have been successfully conducted in Oluwole. His administration also provided free medical tests for Ojodu residents in partnership with a non-governmental organization. Acknowledging Odunmbaku’s revolution in the health sector in Ojodu, a top media executive in one of the major newspapers in Nigeria who has been following the chairman’s activities said: “We’re impressed with his achievements. He has done a lot in health especially with the Primary Health Centres across the council and he deserves commendation.” In road infrastructure, Odunmbaku’s administration has opened up the road network within Ojodu LCDA through the construction of new roads and rehabilitation of dilapidated ones which has improved connectivity and linking previously isolated communities. One of such critical roads is the Adesina/Adeniyi Oke road which links Akiode with the Oke-Ira axis of the council. In education, his Back-to-School initiative, building of ICT hubs, construction of digital containerised secondary schools in Ogba, renovation and construction of classrooms, distribution of desks and benches, bursary awards, and the provision of GCE and JAMB forms are some of his achievements in the education sector. Agriculture is not left out as Odunmbaku sponsored youths for training in Soilless and Hydroponics Farming at the renowned Soilless FarmLab. A ¦ 5 million grant was provided for graduates of the training to establish their farms. A welfarist par excellence, Odunmbaku has shown his empathetic quality with the distribution of empowerment tools to the vulnerable in the council. While marking his 100days in office, Odunmbaku distributed poultry and fish feeds, grinding machines, industrial freezers and ovens, generators, solar panels, laptops, welding machines, hair dryers, weaving machines, gas cookers and desktop computers as well cheques running into millions of naira to market women to enhance their trade. Like Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who has openly praised Odunmbaku as the pride of Lagos State, government agencies and private organizations have also recognized the Ojodu council boss with several awards. Some of them are the 2025 Digital Local Government Chairman of the Year, conferred by the Federal Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and presented by its Director-General, Mr D.I. Arabi; Grassroots Governance Excellence Award at the 10th Lagos Public Relations Industry Gala Awards and a Merit Award for Community Service by the Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council (LSCDAC).