Former Rotary Club District Governor, Rotarian Adewale Ogunbadejo in a brief communication with Ikorodu News Network (INN) explained how the club erected the Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali Multipurpose Hall in Igbogbo Baiyeku LCDA.
In a brief interview dated the 19th of January 2023, the former DG illustrated that the need arose to set up the youth empowerment centre when the waterbed was battling the notorious Baddo crisis.
“I was nominated in 2015, but my tenure elapsed from July 1st 2017 to June 30th 2018”.
“Before my inauguration, I was requested to present a vision plan for my administration, and immediately, I thought of achieving a centre for skill acquisition”.
“The killings by the Baddo group at that time were not just in Ikorodu alone, even in Gbagada where I reside as a medical doctor, we do wake up in the morning to find human corpses on the roadside due to the same crisis”.
“So, as the government and communities were thinking of ways to remedy the situation, I thought of ways our club could help the youths become productive individuals during my tenure”.
At that point (during his tenure), according to Rotarian Ogunbadejo, the club purposed to structure a skill acquisition centre (for mass education) that will strive to re-orientate the mindset of youngsters for a promising path.
He proceeded, “My good friend, Senator GbengaAshafa, who was representing the Lagos East Senatorial District at the time arranged a meeting for me with the former secretary to the Lagos State Governor, and current GAC member, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun. It was Baba Basorun who saw our conception, and directed us to have a scheduled discussion with the King”.
With structural plans in place, the club met with HRM, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, who provided a free land space for the realisation of the project after listening to the club’s vision for his community.
“Subsequently, we also met with the Executive Chairman of Igbogbo Baiyeku LCDA, Bldr Sesan Daini, to convey our well-received proposal, afterwards, we had to sign an MOU with the Council, Monarch and Community to officially kick off the project”.
“It was a well-rounded synergy from the four corners of the LCDA to bring the undertaking to reality”. Rotarian Ogunbadejo explained.
He further noted that a chunk of the funds used in building the multipurpose centre was raised during his inauguration ceremony.
The legacy project was commissioned ‘Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali Multipurpose Centre’ on the 14th of May 2018″.
On the day of the commissioning, Ikorodu’s own Mr Rotimi Ogunleye, who was the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development at that time, represented the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, and also Mary Beth Growney Selene from the United States of America represented the Rotary International President.
“We built the event centre on the same premises, which would assist those managing the facility to put forward funds for maintenance purposes“.
“Seeing what the centre is doing today, training youths from year to year, give me joy unspeakable”.
“Presently, I am trying to seek support from our District Governor, Rotarian Omotunde Lawson, who’s also a retired director of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, to see how we could raise funds to upgrade the effete equipment and further enhance the activity done there” Rotarian Ogunbadejo concluded.
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