By Bunmi Adigun
Abeokuta North Local Government is one of the twenty local governments in Ogun State,lucky to be one of the major capitals to the forty-nine years old state
This local government came into existence in 1981 as Abeokuta South Local Government but was later merged the same year to make up the defunct Abeokuta South Local Government.
Abeokuta North Local Government, however, re-emerged again on 27th September 1991 when the Federal Government created some new Local Governments to meet with the demand for Government to be closer to the people at the grassroots.
The Local Government shares boundaries with Odeda Local Government in the North, Ewekoro Local Government in the South; Abeokuta South in the East and Yew North Local Government in the West.
The local government is made up of people from Oke-Ona, Gbagura, Owu, and Oke-Ogun.
The people of Abeokuta North Local Government are predominantly farmers, most of whom engage in the farming of arable crops while some also engage in livestock and fish farming.
The major food crops of the area are cassava, yam cocoyam, plantain, rice, maize, cashew citricand vegetables, while palm produce and cocoa form the major cash crops, as well as cotton production.
The fortune of this local government changed on the 18th of November 2024 when a new administration came on board, and it ushered in Hon Olanrewaju Oyegbola Sodipo who at several time gave a short of representing his people and changing their lives for good.
Hon Lanre Oyegbola from Oke Ona Egba, part of the local government, tagged its program as “A NEW DAY BECKONS IN ABEOKUTA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT” and immediately he was sworn in by the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, he put the local government on auto drive and had since moved to site.
In less than one hundred days, a visit to the local government will tell you a new story as total redevelopment of the structures where staff of the local government is ongoing and the face of this local government is about to change for good.
Hon Lanre Oyegbola Sodipo began with the launch of Healthcare Initiative Scheme for over 250 aged people in the Local Government Area and has also make bold move to foster youth empowerment and sustainable development, launched a landmark agricultural initiative aimed at equipping young people with the tools, training, and resources needed to thrive in agribusiness.
The Internally generated revenue of the local government has also been re-engineered as those loopholes where the benefits of the local government have been lost in the past are now back in the coffers of the local government
Hon Lanre Oyegbola has also begun the capturing of market men and women to be followed by other sectors of the economy under the local government where the local government administration can plan for any development coming
Also, a shopping mall with over sixty stalls has also been commissioned, and this stall is named after the wife of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun who confirmed that Hon Lanre Oyegbola Sodipo is taking to the templates of his Boss, Prince Dapo Abiodun
Ogun State Government Having achieved the construction of 2,500 housing units across the three Senatorial Districts of the State under the Administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, it has indeed added to the achievements of the Building our Future Together Agenda of the current administration and the rest is history
Hon Lanre Oyegbola Sodipo is toeing this path as he has also turned the sod of a 300-Unit Housing Project in Obasa, Sabo, Abeokuta
This is done in a bold stride towards urban expansion and affordable housing delivery,The project is part of the local government’s vision for Abeokuta New Town Development Project aimed at bringing new development to the city center and providing decent shelter for residents.
At a well-attended groundbreaking ceremony, Dr Oyegbola-Sodipo emphasized the local government’s commitment to bridging the housing deficit while opening up the city center for new infrastructure.
The estate, which will comprise a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units tailored for both low- and middle-income earners, will be named in honor of the Executive Governor of Ogun State as the ‘Prince Dapo Abiodun Low and Medium Cost Housing Estate.’
Dr Oyegbola-Sodipo praised Governor Dapo Abiodun for his unwavering support for grassroots development and his administration’s housing revolution across the state evident at King’s court at Kobape, Prince court at Kemta, GRA regeneration at Ibara GRA, among others. He noted that naming the estate after the governor is a tribute to his dedication to housing development and people-centered governance.
The Abeokuta New Town Development Project is designed to open up new residential and commercial hubs through strategic planning and public-private partnerships.
The 300-unit estate is the flagship project of the initiative and is expected to be completed in phases.
With this move, Abeokuta North takes a significant step forward in transforming its housing landscape and providing hope for thousands seeking affordable homeownership.
So it is good to conclude in terms of housing for all that “LIKE LANRE OYEGBOLA SODIPO, LIKE PRINCE DR DAPO ABIODUN
•Bunmi Adigun writes from Abeokuta
