By: Olajide Toriola
Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reiterated that creation of local government council development areas is targeted at grassroots development.
Aregbesola on Wednesday said that his government decided to establish new Local Council Development Areas in order to consolidate on the efforts of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige.
He said the initiative was also to draw government nearer the people by extending the dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
Governor Aregbesola made the statement while addressing people at the official commissioning of the newly constructed office building of the newly created Ife South-West Local Council Development Area, in Awolowo town.
Aregbesola, who described Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a father of modern government in Nigeria, said the establishment of new LCDAs was to build on the legacy laid by the late sage.
He said Chief Awolowo had in 1981, introduced the establishment of LCDAs with cardinal objective of making government closer to the people at community levels.
Governor Aregbesola lamented the truncation of the Awolowo’s ideology, saying if the progressives had been opportuned to govern the nation, the establishment of LCDA would have been popularised across the country.
Aregbesola disclosed that the gestures were conceptualized as part of efforts of his government to make life more abundant and meaningful to the citizenry irrespective of socioeconomic, political and religious statues.
He said: “The determination to guarantee security of lives and property of the people through the promotion of communal peace and progress informed our government’s decision.
“That is why we ordered the immediate take-off of the newly created 31 Local Council Development Areas, 3 Area Councils and 2 Administrative Offices across the length and breadth of the state.
“Besides, the fact that LCDA contributes to the development of the state, its creation also helps foster communal peace and progress among the people at grassroots.
“The creation of LCDAs is not for fun but rather, a noble intent to make government more nearer to the masses and enhance all-round growth and development.”
In his welcome address, the Council Manager of Ife South-West Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Yinusa Olalekan Akande, commended Governor Aregbesola for the dedication of his government to the general well being of the people in the state.
He also lauded Aregbesola’s efforts at bringing government closer to the people through the establishment of Local Council Development Areas so as to complement the existing Local Governments in the state.
Akande said the idea of creating Ice Southwest LCDA was conceived with a view to bringing government to the grassroots and subsequently the dividends of democracy to the people.
He said the commissioning of the new LCDA’s Secretariat complex in the town was a clear manifestation of the vision and mission of the Aregbesola government to make life more abundant and meaningful to the residents of the community.
The Council Manager said the idea to embark on the construction of the modern office complex was conceived immediately the take off/stabilization fund was released by the state to all the newly created LCDA.
According to him, “It would be recalled that the state government under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola created additional 31 Local Council Development Areas, 3 Area Councils and 2 Administrative Offices, which led to the appointment of Council Managers.
“This noble initiative had recorded huge achievement since the takeoff of the new LCDAs across the nooks and crannies of our state as this had sent signal of sense of belonging to the people of the state especially those at the extreme rural and remote areas.
“We must be diligent during this economic recession by working hard, improving our IGR, promoting communal peace and progress so as to drive away this recession in our dear state and Nigeria as a whole.
In his remarks, the Chairman House Committee on Education in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Folorunsho Bamisayemi, commende the state government for being supportive of the people of the constituency.
He said the impacts of the creation of the council is being positively felt in the constituency, saying the constituency had benefited immensely from various government intervention programmes.
Hon. Bamisayemi,who represents Ife South State Constituency assured the people of the constituency of more dividends of democracy from the government.
Earlier, the Olu of Awolowo town, Oba David Omisore, expressed profound gratitude to the state government for citing the new LCDA headquartres in the town.
He said the gestures would further foster development and expose the community to better transformation and progress.
