Adedamola R. Kasunmu: Not Too Young To Serve

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE 

As the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ campaign pervades the Nigerian political space, the likes of industrious and dynamic member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adedamola Richard Kasumu, comes to mind.

Kasunmu, popularly known as ARK, is the lawmaker currently representing Ikeja Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly.  He was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC in 2015 and currently serves as the Chairman, House Committee on Youth, Sports and Social Development.

Hon. ARK is one of the youngest legislators in the present political dispensation in Nigeria and so far, he has not disappointed the youths. The debonair legislator recently gave the account of stewardship of his days in the State Assembly. During the Constituency Stakeholders meeting held at the Lagos Television Complex in Agidingbi, Ikeja, in attendance were over 500 constituents from across the constituency including party elders, apex leaders, royal fathers, religious leaders, market leaders, youths, women, professionals, among others. Also present at the event were the League of Past Councillors and Past Ward Chairmen, Serving Councillors from Ikeja and Ojodu as well as Igbo and Hausa communities.

“Since the last stakeholder meeting in 2017, the house have continued to improve on law making drive and process by reviewing and amending the old legislations and initiating new ones where necessary to meet current needs. And till date, we have considered 41 bill and passed 30 into law which are effectively addressing various challenges and developmental activities in the state,” the young and vibrant politician reiterated.

He however reassured the Ikeja people of meaningful representation, and during the stakeholders meeting he was unanimously endorsed by all including the youths and elders in his constituency.

Not minding being viewed by some people as a green horn in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. ARK has delivered like a veteran. In a House populated by other experienced lawmakers, Hon. ARK sponsored two executive bills; A bill for a law to provide for establishment of Lagos State Sports Commission and for connected purpose and a bill for a law for establishment of Lagos State Sports Trust Fund and for connected purpose. The bills had been passed and signed into law by the Lagos State Governor, His Excellency, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode. This made Hon. ARK, the only first term lawmaker to have achieved such feat in the 8th Assembly.

Under the new Lagos State Sport Trust Fund, the young legislator has facilitated two major sport facilities to Ikeja Constituency 2. The facility to be known as Astro turf will be built for the benefit of all Ikeja constituents at Adeniyi Jones Primary School and Agidingbi Junior Grammar School opposite Mega Chicken or Babs Fafunwa Millennium Grammar school Ojodu.

Aside his strides on the floor of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. ARK facilitated the employment of over 65 Ikeja youths directly into Lagos State Civil Service between 2015 and 2018. In 2018 alone he gave out free JAMB forms to 100 students in Ikeja Constituency 2 and equally got free JAMB CBT Software for 100 Candidates.

It is also on record that the young lawmaker made possible the LASU Admission for 27 Students between 2015 and 2018. Also on his scorecard was the sponsorship of 2 Constituency Youth for Leadership Training in the USA & Scotland (2016/2017). The vibrant politician also made possible vocational training for 10 Youths at Ovie Brume Foundation, Victoria Island, Lagos.

In order to expose the untapped potentials of Ikeja constituents, Hon. Kasunmu came up with the idea of a football competition. The competition tagged ‘ARK Five Aside Football Competition’ was targeted at developing talents and exposing them to handlers of football teams to pick from. Gifted constituents had been discovered from this venture and more youths look up to it for exposure to football scouts as it had become a yearly affair.

Hon. ARK also facilitated the enrolment of 100 Constituents as paid volunteers for Lagos Marathon Race 2017 and 2018 and had done about 12 micro empowerment of over 100 women from 10 Wards. Recently, he assisted the Three Wheeler Transporters who had complained of difficulty in doing their business to secure a park at Berger Bus Stop.

Over time, as the people’s representative he had maintained a deliberate policy of patronizing constituency businessmen and women in the areas of branding, catering, dry cleaning, motor mechanic, etc and rendered financial assistance to well over 1000 individual constituents on various social and personal issues. It is equally on record that he facilitated the early commencement of the new Berger Bridge. He had collated and conveyed the needs of the constituents through four (4) consecutive Town Hall Meetings to the State Government for implementation between 2015 and 2018.

The young lawmaker has maintained financial and logistics support for Ikeja and Ojodu Chapters of his party, APC as well as sponsoring 2 Ikeja youths as honourable members of Lagos State Youth Parliament. He has also been consistent with massive celebration packages for the people during Ileya, Christmas and other festive seasons which had endeared him to the people.

Hon. ARK has offered quality representation to his people because prior to his election as a lawmaker in April 2015, the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom graduate had garnered cognate working experiences as a topflight Education Administrator, Social Entrepreneur and Youth Advocate. And in recognition of his proficiency as an education manager, he was decorated with the award as “Best Education Administrator Of The Year” in 2011.