Politics
LAGOS State Government would construct a modern jetty in memory of the late Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Mr Simeon Kiki-Whenu, state Special Adviser on Tourism, Solomon Bonu, has said.
Speaking at a funeral service for the late administrator at Freeman Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Badagry on Friday, Bonu said Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed Lagos State Waterways Authority to name the new Badagry jetty after the late council boss.
“He also promised to allocate ferry to the jetty after completion of the project,” the special adviser said.
The special adviser praised the late chairman of Badagry Local Government for his love for human capital development in the coastal town.
Bonu said that Kiki-Whenu used his tenure as council chairman to turn the fortune of his people and community around for the better by embarking upon various notable and enduring projects.
“His democratic and progressive ideals have been quite enduring and uplifting to many that knew what he stood for.
“His abode was a Mecca of sorts for a whole lot of people, both young and old, politicians and civil servants who regularly paid visits to share and tap into his wealth of experience.
“His generosity of mind and spirit earned him his nickname “Great Uncle,” he said.
In his sermon, Rt. Rev. Oladapo Babalola, Bishop of Tinubu Methodist Church, Lagos, urged Nigerians to cherish the country as their own virtue that must be preserved.
According to him, Kiki-Whenu saw Badagry as his own and that was what made him to use his strength to develop the city.
Babalola appealed to politicians to always help the needy, adding that “we came to the world with nothing and we are going back with nothing.”
He condemned politicians who abandoned people to suffer after getting their votes.
“So, if God enrich you, help the masses. Whoever takes care of other people’s children, definitely others will surely take care of his own,” he said.
The cleric urged people to emulate the late administrator who was nicknamed “Mayor of Badagry” because of his good work.
He described the late council chairman as articulate, moralist, devote christian, a disciplinarian and patriotic Nigerian.
One of the sons of the deceased, Mr Babatunde Whenu, described his late father as a responsible and ever committed family man.
“His selflessness gave him the grace to successfully nurture his own and other children unreservedly.
“The love he cultivated with his wife blossomed among all the children under their loving care,” he said.
Aged 82, Kiki-Whenu was elected the Chairman of Badagry Local Government in 1991 under the platform of defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). (NAN)
– Nov. 15, 2019 @ 17:09 GMT |
Tags: Lagos State to name new Badagry Jetty after late chairman
