Mass Struggle Pays

By Toyin Raheem Chairman NCP Agege

The National Conscience Party (NCP), Agege Local Government chapter in conjunction with Agege Community Movement (ACOM) once again demonstrated the power in collective struggle. The people of Kareem Babatunde Street in Papa-Ashafa, Agege, shall forever remain grateful to the National Conscience Party and Agege Community Movement for the pressure jointly put on Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN) formerly NEPA to replace the weak PHCN poles. The Kareem Babatunde Residents Association had called on NEPA to replace weak poles about falling to the ground and wires for over 2yrs to no avail.

However, Agege NCP and ACOM took over the struggle and within two weeks of mounting pressure on NEPA through peaceful protest, protest letters and meetings with various officers of PHCN at both Ikeja Headquarters and Alimosho District, eight poles that were hitherto said to be unavailable were allocated to the Street and with personnel deployed to effect the erection of the poles and repair/replacement of the weak electric wires to the street.

In another related development, the poles servicing the Globacom Sub Stations at Abibatu Junction fell to the ground and damaged the car belonging to Mr. Isiaka Apebiowo and the fence of another building on the street. Through intervention of NCP and Agege Community Youths, Globacom was made to compensate the car owner and the landlady, an old woman, to the tune of N110, 000 (One hundred and ten thousand naira only).

Agege DSM collaborated with Tenants’ Rights Project (TRP) and National Conscience Party (NCP) to intervene in the struggle of Ekun Town residents putting pressure on both Ogun State Government and Lagos State Government to re-link the town with the rest of the world. The demand is reconstruction of Ekun Town Road that has been completely destroyed and cut off by erosion and water discharge from Adiyan Water Works and the re-building of the bridge over Ekun Town River that has now over flown due to erosion.

In the peaceful protest that also included the Motorcycle Association of the town, a letter containing the demands of the residents was delivered to Lagos State Government, Lagos State Water Corporations and Ogun State Government. The two state governments were pressurized to dispatch their teams of engineers to inspect the road and the collapsed bridge.

As at today, Ekun Town road previously abandoned by motorists for years is now passable and work is still in progress at the river site. Who says struggle does not pay?