By Alade Aromashod

As Muslims across the world celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, the Odio-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos has organised a subsidised Ileya ram sales initiative for residents of the community.

Speaking during the coordination exercise for the programme, the Chairman of the LCDA, Dr. ‘Seyi Jakande, described the initiative as part of his administration’s commitment to progressive governance and community welfare.

“We promised progressive governance for the residents during our election campaign and this is part of it,” Jakande said.

He explained that the initiative was introduced to ease the financial burden on residents during the festive season and would become a continuous programme during future Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

According to the chairman, only residents with Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) or Temporary Voter’s Cards (TVCs) are eligible to benefit from the scheme, stressing that the move is aimed at encouraging participation in the democratic process.

“This initiative is to further encourage people not to sit on the fence,” he stated.
Jakande also responded to criticisms over the use of PVCs and TVCs as means of identification, insisting that citizens who participate in democracy should enjoy its dividends.

“We strongly believe that for people to enjoy the dividend of democracy, they should be participants, especially considering the turnout we witnessed during the election process,” he said.

He added that the council was not trying to disenfranchise anyone, noting that residents could still register with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and benefit from future initiatives.

“We don’t believe in disenfranchising anybody, especially when the INEC registration window remains open. People can still walk into INEC offices, register and benefit from the process,” he added.

The chairman disclosed that rams currently sold for between N350,000 and N400,000 in the open market were being offered to residents at a subsidised price of N80,000.
“The ram being sold today to residents of Odio-Olowo/Ojuwoye costs between N350,000 and N400,000 in the market, but we are selling them for N80,000,” Jakande stated.

He further stressed that the gesture was aimed at strengthening residents’ belief in democracy and encouraging them to protect the democratic process.

“We believe that with this gesture, people will be further convinced that democracy is real and that they also have a role in protecting our democratic process,” he said.
Jakande explained that PVCs and TVCs were adopted as identification tools because they indicate the locality of the holders and help confirm beneficiaries as residents of the LCDA.