In the darkness of the cloud over our nation; a twinkle star shone far away in the horizon, glittering and radiating in green. “You can’t ever go wrong with pearls” the saying goes. Following its radiating rays for happening across the Atlantic Ocean, we are brought to the City of Leeds in the UK, it was the coronation of the Lord Mayor of the City of Leeds.
“The pearl is the Queen of the gems and the gems of the Queen”.
Congratulations to our own; Hon. Mrs Abigail Marshall Katung; on her inauguration as the Lord Mayor of Leeds. Katung is the first elected African in the Council of Leeds and the first black Lord Mayor of Leeds.
Congratulations also to our very own Distinguished Senator Barr. Sunday Marshall Katung as the first ever African Lord Mayor Consort.
The event which took place today in the UK had in attendance; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, the Governors of Bayelsa and Kaduna States, 26 Senators, many members of the House of Reps, former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Bishop Mathew Kukah, Gen Martin Luther Agwai, the Nigeria Consular General to Uk and many dignitaries too numerous to mention.
It was indeed a colourful event. Congratulations to our own Sister Hon. Abigail Katung, the Lord Mayor of the City of Leeds.
This position conferred on her the status of the first citizen of the city, whose role is to act as an Ambassador for the city, meeting with citizens and communities and welcoming dignitaries from home and abroad.
Leeds is the administrative headquarters of its Metropolitan Borough, just like Ijaye is the headquarters of my Local Council Development Area; Ijaye Ojokoro. Of course it is located in the Metropolitan County of Yorkshire, just as Ifako Ijaye is my Local Government Area, in the Region of Yorkshire and Humber, serving the position of State (Lagos in my case) in our structure in the country England and Sovereign State of the United Kingdom. This is another light beaming on the darkness of our ignorance of governance and development. Great nations are built from the grassroots not from the centre. Imagine the number of Senators from Nigeria that attended a Local Council Development Area Event. I will leap for joy the day my Senator Olamilekan Adeola will find time to officially connect with me through my LCDA Chairman; Hon. Hamed Idowu Tijani. The take away from Leeds; I hope to see in the activities of the Hon Speaker of our House of Reps, RT Hon. Tajudeen Abbass who stood in honour at a “Local Council Development Area Event to represent us. Our national Anthem is not as important as the power we give to Local Government Administration. Nigerians will be pleased to see the restructuring of our federation in ways that the basic needs of citizens are provided for at the Local Government Area levels.
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.
email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
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