Less than 24 hours after the Ondo State government said the newly-created 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) will soon take off, one of the affected communities, Uso, in the present Owo Local Government Area of the state has rejected the siting of the headquarters of the new of the LCDA in Emure-Ile.

The community, whichh rejected the siting of the headquarters of the new LCDA at Emure-Ile, maintained that undue political manipulation and chicanery were allowed to prevail over objectivity and rationality in the creation of the LCDA.

According to the Uso Advisory Council, who expressed the dissatisfaction of the people of the community, explained that the siting of the LCDA headquarters in Emure-Ile negates the existing order and political arrangements which treated Uso as the headquarters of the political ward hence it’s referred to as Uso/Emure-Ile ward 11 and not the other way round.

In a press release signed by the Community Leader, Mr. Emmanuel Dupe Ayodele, said the architect of the LCDA creation never took into consideration the fundamental cultural homogeneity of the people of Uso before lumping them with Emure- Ile.

He noted that the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, while inaugurating the Committee on creation of LCDA charged them to take into consideration the common interest of the community in the area, traditional Association of the community, and administrative convenience, but said the Committee failed to address all these in siting the headquarters of LCDA in Emure-Ile.

Ayodele said: “The entire people of Uso in Owo Local Government Area has rejected the newly created LCDA by the Ondo state government because it was created at variance to the Section 7(2)(a) and (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The bill for the creation of the LCDA, was signed as presented to the State governor His Excellency Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu by the Ondo State House of Assembly few weeks ago without effecting or put into consideration our position as presented at the public hearing organized by the Ondo State House of Assembly. Who does that?

“The Uso Advisory Council noted with dismay and disappointment that the architect of the LCDA creation never took into consideration the fundamental cultural homogeneity of the people of Uso before lumping them with Emure -Ile.”

They stated that “The 1999 Constitution as amended and the ground norm upon which all laws took its root was very emphatic in Section 7 sub 1 & 2 on the Creation of Local Council Areas.”

The council maintained that “the LCDA failed to consider the distance from Uso to Owo which is about 24km while Emure-Ile is about 5km to the centre of Owo, a situation that has made the exercise a mere rhetorical adventure if we are to follow the basic principles of making rural development the centerpiece of democracy and bringing the government closer to the grassroots.

“The Advisory Council was irked by citing the headquarters of the LCDA in Emure-Ile, contrary to the existing order and political arrangements which treated Uso as the headquarters of the political Ward hence it’s referred to as Uso/Emure-Ile ward 11 and not the other way round.

“Creating about four LCDA from the federally recognized Owo local government area and all of them surround the ancient town shows how government has not given consideration to the cultural diversity of the people especially the Uso people”

“We cannot continue in this manner, we must ensure that justice reigns. We must equally protect our democracy from being subjected to undue and induced manipulation by the power that be”. Uso as a race shall continue to agitate for what belongs to them and we shall not shy away from the reality that our oppressors are at work.

“An egalitarian society is the core value of democracy, which allows people to develop along its recognized values. Uso is craving for this type of society devoid of oppression and political subjugation.

“Ipso Facto, we the people of Uso wishes to state equivocally that we are better be left in the federal government recognized Owo Local Government Area instead of dragging us to the LCDA created to cause confusion in the state, we shall consequently boycott any LCDA elections and our taxes shall be remitted to where we and the State government will agree on.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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