xCiting the need to fast track development at the grassroots, Oyo State government on Tuesday unveiled plans to create 35 local council development areas out of existing 33 local government areas.

The government said the creation of the LCDAs would be in line with a 2002 gazetted law.

The government stated that this move was in response to a correspondence from the Oyo State House of Assembly requesting the Executive arm to create LCDAs in order to facilitate development at the grassroots.

It would be recalled that the State Assembly’s sitting on Thursday, June 16, 2016, discussed a motion bothering on the creation of LCDAs.

Addressing the press after the weekly Oyo State Executive Council meeting, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Gbade Ojo, 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 government payroll in the existing local governments would be distributed to the LCDAs.

According to him, “The sitting of the Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday 16th June 2016, the House 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 thirty-three 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 added.

He stressed that the resolution of the House was extensively discussed at the weekly executive council meeting and ratified by members, adding that, thirty-five LCDAs would be created in line with political and zonal administrative structure of the State. This includes fourteen (14) LCDAs to Ibadan zone, two (2) to Ibarapa zone, four (4) to Oyo zone, seven (7) to Ogbomoso zone and eight (8) to Oke-ogun zone.

Ojo added that the Ministry of Justice has been mandated to present an executive bill to the state House of Assembly to change and implement a law gazetted by the late Lam Adesina administration.

Speaking at the briefing, the State’s Attorney General, Mr. Seun Abimbola, said, “We are only implementing a law gazetted as far back as 2002 by Lam Adesina’s administration due to intense pressure from all quarters to have even representation in governance and we shall maintain this status until the process gets to the National Assembly for constitutional seal to change the nomenclature form LCDAs to Local Government Areas.”

In his own comments, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy, Mr. Bimbo Kolade, assured the people of the financial capability of all the thirty-three local governments in the State to be divided into Local Council Development Areas while adding that names of the LCDAs would soon be announced after the State House of Assembly must have concluded its own part of the process.

While speaking at the briefing, the state commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun, commended the citizens of the state for their support and compliance in the renewed Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) drive by the state government.

Arulogun said, “We received favourable responses last week from the citizens and corporate bodies in Oyo State as our enforcement teams went round for taxes, levies and duties compliance. Although, there were skirmishes in some areas, above all, the exercise so far has been largely successful. We commend the people of Oyo State for their cooperation and also wish to reiterate that we are not out to create hardship for the people but enforce compliance with extant laws.” (The Guardian)

•Photo shows Governor Isiaka Ajimobi of Oyo State.

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