Samiat Bolanle Bada
By Our Reporter
The Chairman, Ikosi Isheri Local Development Council Area (LCDA), Mrs. Samiat Bolanle Bada, is currently battling to wriggle out of a series of scandals that have dogged her tenure in the last one year, investigations have revealed.
Sources in the know of the rot in the council disclosed that Bada, who took over the chairmanship of the council in 2020 following the death of the former chairman, Mr. Oyesanya, has allegedly turned the local government into a personal fiefdom, where her self serving interests rather than the welfare of the people of the local government has become the order of the day.
The council chairman, who prefers to be addressed as “Mayoress,” just for egoistic reasons, allegedly had her tenure characterised with malignant maladministration, including alleged lack of accountability and due process in the award of contracts, nepotism, monumental corruption, to mention but a few.
Sources in the local government headquarters disclosed that in just over a year that Bada assumed office, she allegedly acquired two houses in Magodo GRA at cost running into several millions of naira. That is not all, she was also alleged to have gifted herself a brand new Lexus SUV, amongst several other cars. Her excuse for this grand ostentatious lifestyle, sources added, is that she “must live up to the glamour of her exalted office.”
Staff of the council are even more shocked that Bada allegedly dipped her hands into the local government’s coffers to purchase cars for close family members, one of whom is a trader at the Binukonu Market on Ogudu Road and some male friends.
One of these close male friends, who allegedly wield enormous powers in the running of the council, is a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Alhaji Mutiu Are, the Secretary of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), which is the highest political decision making organ in Lagos State, who was allocated an office in the council secretariat on the orders of the chairman.
Bada had also allegedly awarded several road and drainage contracts to Are, worth millions of naira with 100 percent fees paid, but with little or no work executed at the contract sites.
Another case of wasteful expenditure by Bada is the alleged millions spent to organise Ikosi Isheri Cultural Day on May 13. Previous editions of the event were reportedly held through communal efforts by residents without the local government incurring any cost.
Some months ago, concerned residents, staff of the local government and party leaders had forwarded a strongly-worded petition detailing the alleged infractions committed by Bada to the Lagos State House of Assembly, but to their shock, the council boss was cleared of all the allegations.
Now scheming for another term in office, Bada’s relationship with prominent party leaders within and outside the local government is a regular topic of discussion in the Lagos APC.
Described as saucy, arrogant and disrespectful, she is alleged to have on a number of occasions, tongue-lashed Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kosofe Federal Constituency over disagreement on her style of leadership and party issues.
She also once allegedly physically assaulted her counterpart in Igbogbo-Bayeku, Hon. Daini during a meeting of local government chairmen, while members of management and staff of the local government are not immune from her angry vituperation.
Despite her alleged “misconduct” in office, Bada is reportedly desperate to win a second term, but she has a big hurdle to cross in the stiff opposition being waged by major stakeholders in the local government determined to truncate her ambition.
Attempts to make her respond to the allegations were not successful as she was yet to respond to the SMS sent to her mobile phone as at the time of filling this report
