Lagos APC Chairman inaugurates Arewa Community exco, board of trustee

• Shettima, Ikosi Isheri LCDA council boss sets agenda

The Lagos State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi has inaugurated a 22-man executive with Alhaji Sa’adu Gulma as Chairman and 11-man board of trustee of the Arewa Community in the state.

Signalling the beginning of a new era of a more united Arewa community in Lagos State, Ojelabi hinted that with the new development the state will enjoy better cooperation and relation than before from the community.

The APC Chairman-Ojelabi at the instance of the party’s national organizing secretary Dr. Sulaiman Mohammed Argungu (Jarma Kabi) inaugurated the Lagos Arewa Community exco at the APC secretariat in Acme Ogba area of Lagos state, on Thursday November 28,2024, charging them to ensure harmonious relationship amongst all blocs represented.

While inaugurating the Arewa exco Ojelabi counselled the Chairman of the Lagos Arewa Community in APC Alhaji Sa’adu Gulma to carry along everybody in order to foster peace and good development for all.

“Be a leader not a boss. Today you have been given the mandate to manage all Arewa community well represented here, remember today realizing the fact that all here gathered abandoned their works to attend this inauguration, so remember them in all you do.

“I charge the Board of Trustee to call them to order whenever they want to go astray, you must ensure that this great feat attained today stands the test of time.” Ojelabi said.

In response to the honour officially done on him, the Arewa Community chairman Alhaji Sa’adu Gulma pledged the commitment of his exco to run an inclusive administration and accommodate all facets of the community in all considerations and benefits that is due.

Sa’adu promised that: “We are not perfect like every other human being but to the best of my knowledge I promise that whatever belong to you comes to you. Me and my exco we are going to take you to the promise land.

“We all know our party chairman is a man of his word and nothing will make him change his words.

“I promise you sir that under your guide Arewa will deliver maximally. I will accommodate all as our reconciliation committee chairman counselled earlier.

“We shall ensure justice in our community at all times to the best of our ability.

“You are going to see reduction in food prices and even much more goodies, because this marks a new beginning of history in Arewa of Lagos State since 1964, today is the first time Arewa exco is being inaugurated in the state.

“Before the practice is that you just see a group of people taking charge as Arewa in Lagos, this is the first of its kind in Lagos State and Insha Allah, we will try our best to make sure we tally with Asiwaju’s renewed hope agenda to bring about positive change in our community.

“In the next five years we have a lot of projections; one we are ready to partner with Lagos State Government, each law the state brings we will ensure within our ranks that there is compliance for law and order.

“Before we don’t have one chairman, we had different chairmen, sometimes if there is anything the information will only get to one side but now for the first time each and every information will get across all the community’s divides.

“For instance, on the physically challenged case at the beginning of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term, the commissioner of Tourism and Culture called us and told us they want us to take back all the almajeris and beggars on the street.

“Our coming together yielded fruit in this regard without bringing police or any force.

“By God grace we are ready any time Lagos State want to do anything concerning Arewa, to make critical efforts to get a soft landing for our people.”

Alhaji Shehu Jibrin ( aka Sam Pam) the Chairman of Arewa reconciliation committee and Secretary of the newly inaugurated Board of Trustee in his remarks at the event, urged the Arewa exco to ensure a team player approach in their administration, while appreciating the state government for according the community a fair deal of recognition and involvement in the polity of the state.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu has broken a jinx that no other governors have broken before in Lagos State, by assigning our own person a commissioner, no governor in the south, no governor in Lagos state has given a commissioner position to an Arewa man.

“We really appreciate his excellency, also we had two board members- myself in market board and Muhammed Sarki in sport this only happened in Lagos state.

“Arewa community has five serving councillors, 23 senior advisers to the local government chairmen across Lagos State. We thank Lagos State, they carried us along in everything they do. Today under the watch of Babajide Sanwo-Olu we have two major markets predominantly managed by Arewa.

“The Arewa community in Lagos State are so dedicated and I can say the command of APC to Arewa community is like that of a soldier, saying go! We go, come! we come. Our party chairman does not discriminate always standing by the truth.

“We have faced many abuses but stood firm and today we have Alhaji Saadu Gulma only as Chairman of APC Arewa Community, signed and stamped by the President of the Federal republic of Nigeria Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our party chairman and the Governor, they all raised the hand of Sa’adu Gulma.

“As a part of the Board trustee I want to appeal that the chairman carries everybody along. Arewa community has so many husbands but we divorced them all and got married to you. There will be peace in Lagos state, we have board of trustee to handle issues and if it goes beyond them, we have our party chairman and our leaders let us resolve it. There is no rancour in Arewa Community any more.

“Everybody should be accommodated; they should remember that the party comes first in everything they do.”

National Daily reports that the different blocs of Arewa communities in Lagos state had representations at the inauguration; from the Shuwa Arabs, Fulani, Hausa, Igala, Nupe and the 17 northern states of the federation.

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The National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum Ambasador Yerima Shettima in a chat with newsmen at the inauguration, commended the functional synergy between the Arewa community and government adding that Lagos is home to Arewa and their support at all time is guaranteed.

“What happened today is a clear indication that the APC in Lagos has done wonderfully, it is a clear indication that our people have been carried along and this is also a clear indication of good leadership, so we commend the Lagos State Government and the party to have carried our people along, making this a day that is very historical.

“A government must be seen to be all inclusive and to that extent I have no doubt in my mind under the leadership of the present chairman of the party, and under the watch of the Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“I believe strongly they would work with our people and our people will be ever willing to give their 100 percent support, there is no doubt about that.

On the issue of food shortage, Shettima affirmed that there will be rebound of supply sequel the new era in the state Arewa community.
“It takes two to tangle, you can be rest assured that with this happening the issue of any divisive moves by any group or any individual will no longer be there, it is a clear indication that Lagos and northern people have come to stay and this will never happen again you can be rest assured.

“You know Lagos is a small Nigeria and that is why some of us find comfort here, some of us were products of this and that is why everyday when there are issues that has to do with us the northern people, I come forward even when I stay more in the northern part of the country, because Lagos has become home to all of us.

“Lagos groomed all of us so for us we see Lagos as home, and to that extend whoever would emerge, you can be rest assured that there will be support to the APC government in Lagos State.

“The message is very clear what they demonstrated in the last election, they will do better than what they did in the last election.” Shettima said.

The Executive Chairman of Ikosi Isheri LCDA Mayoress Simiat Bada cited the importance of the inauguration for the state and her locality in particular, while charging the newly inaugurated to remain steadfast and supportive to the party.

“Arewa is just like the governor’s better half, they have been supportive same applies to the party chairman”.
She however, charged the newly inaugurated not to allow their new position to distract them from the journey before them, “they’ve been on a good track they should never derail and they should not forget where they are coming from”.