MICHAEL AKINOLA
When Prince Idris Balogun, popularly known Olu’omo Kafata, was born in the Royal family of Isheri Olofin Kingdom in Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State, probably his parents did not know that they had given birth to a child named Idris with the heart of gold.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Prince Idris Balogun grew up and started touching many lives with super philanthropic gestures, not only in his immediate environment of Isheri Olofin Kingdom but the entire Alimosho LGA adjudged to be the largest LGA in Nigeria and indeed, Lagos State and Nigeria.
Five years ago, Prince Idris Balogun, a Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), worried by challenging harrowing experience students and workers in Alimosho Federal constituency go through on a daily basis to access their various schools and work place with the attendant negative impact it poses on qualitative education and efficiency in work places, launched free bus transportation sheme with four buses to facilitate their movements.
For the past years, Oluomo has maintained the free transportation scheme with over mega seater buses positioned in the strategic places in Alimosho for students and workers every morning and evening.
The compassionate buses, courtesy of Oluomo, cut across the communities including Ipaja, Ayobo, Igando, Ikotun, Idimu, Egbeda, Egbe, Isheri among others.
Prince Balogun explained that he was aware of the challenges students and workers face daily, which a clear neglect of the poor in the society who are not really asking for too much from those holding political offices in trust for them, to attend to their basic needs. He initially introduced it for students and later made more provision for workers for easy movement in Alimosho LG.
Prince Balogun, the Oluomo Kafata of Isheri Kingdom, while officially commissioning the said buses for the use of students stated:
“Some of our children trek 2- 3 kilometres to school daily. How can a child who had trekked this much early in morning assimilate well in class. Such a child will also trek back home later in the day. This drove me to start this free school ride scheme. Here we have two buses that will ply Constituency 01 and 02 respectively taking our children to school and back home”.
“Daily provisions have been made to fuel the buses. We have drivers, instructors for the children as well as healthcare givers to make the journey to and fro school a seamless one. Also over 2000 school bags, lunch bags and 80 leaves notebooks will be distributed across secondary schools in our constituency.”
“I did this specifically for the poor, given my love for them. So many are suffering and can’t afford three square meals daily. Although I have never taken any money from government, we have a poverty alleviation scheme having acquired over 20 acres of land in Ogun State, where we ventured into livestock, crop farming and more for the benefit of our people.”
This was the submission of the man with the heart of gold, vintage Prince Idris Balogun Olu’omo Kafata, who is contesting for the Chairmanship of Egbe/Idimu LCDA, Lagos State.