By Ola Ajayi

MIXED reactions have greeted the proposed creation of additional 35 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, out of the existing 33 Local Government Areas in Oyo State.

While antagonists of the LCDAs creation see it as ill-conceived and a misplaced priority in this period that the pacesetter state is having serious economic crisis that has crippled many activities in the state, some feel it would draw the government of the day to the grassroots.

While announcing its intentions, the State Government through the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Gbade Ojo, tried to justify its stance saying it would accelerate development. Ojo said the move was in tandem with a correspondence from the State House of Assembly requesting the executive arm to create LCDAs in order to accelerate development at the grassroots.

The legislative arm had, on Thursday, June 16, 2016, discussed a motion bordering on the creation of LCDAs. Ojo, who was flanked by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Seun Abimbola, and his counterparts from Information Culture and Tourism and Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Messrs Toye Arulogun and Bimbo Kolade, said that the creation of the LCDAs would hasten development in local communities and bring government closer to the people without incurring additional expenses as workers on the government payroll in the existing local governments would be distributed to the LCDAs.

According to him: “The Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday June 16, 2016, deliberated on a motion titled: Need to Establish Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) for effective grassroots development. The House assured that creating two or three LCDAs from each of the existing 33 Local Government Areas would accelerate even development in the State.

“The House consequently resolved that the government of Oyo State be urged to take proactive measures to establish Local Council Development Areas, depending on population and landmass, to ensure that development gets to every community in the State.”

He stressed that the resolution of the House was extensively discussed at the weekly executive council meeting and ratified by members, adding that 35 LCDAs would be created in line with political and zonal administrative structures of the State. This includes 14 LCDAs in Ibadan zone, two in Ibarapa zone, four (4) to Oyo zone, seven (7) to Ogbomoso zone and eight in Oke-ogun zone.

Also a former local government chairman and grassroots development strategist, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan said, “It is a good development. It will bring development to the grassroots. But, beyond creation, government must make them function autonomously.”

The present governor of the state that is implementing this creation of LCDAs government has a rare opportunity of writing his name in gold by ensuring that competetnt and capable persons are put in charge of the councils.

“With the right calibre of people, the councils would be able to generate and manage the resourcces of the local goverbnment areas of the state effectively and efficently. The argument that the LGs are not viable is not tenable. All the areas can be made viable with the right people in position of authority. A major solution to the nigeria’s problems is opening up of rural areas. With good organisation, opening of rural areas would enhance agriculture, industrialisation and tourism which would eventually bring down cost of living and decimate poverty”

But, the Publicity Director for Accord, Mr. Nureni Adeniran said the idea is misguided and a diversionary tactics to further postpone conduct of the election.

He said, “how can the government bring up a proposal made about 15 years ago knowing fully well that situation at that time is not the same with what we have now. Without referendum, he just came up with creation of councils. Referring to a gazette of 2002 shows that the government is greatly irresponsible. It is tantamount to insulting our sensibilities.

The government knows that the existing councils are not well funded. The move is not in conformity with due process. This and the bye election held in Oorelope State Constituency have shown that APC is losing its popularity. Despite the fact that the deputy governor comes from that area and that the governor mobilised APC members to campaign for votes there, they still lost the election”.