By Ayodele Oni
Ekiti state Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has accused the immediate past administration of playing politics with the creation of more Local Governments in the State.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday while receiving report of the committee on the creation of more local councils in the state, Dr Fayemi said that the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) controlled administration did not take into consideration the interest of the people.
“The successive government placed politics above the far-reaching interest of Ekiti people. The process was abandoned just like it did to many of the developmental policies, programmes and projects of my first term.
“Fortunately, the Local Council Development Area Law, 2014 that provided the legal framework for the creation of the LCDAs was not repealed. This has left us in a desirable position of simply continuing from where we left in 2014.
“As a responsible and responsive government, it is our duty to take decisions that will be of ultimate benefit to the people who elected us to pilot the affairs of the State.
“Therefore, when we came on board again 2018, we revisited the agitations of our people for the creation of the long overdue LCDAs.
“It is my firm belief that the creation of LCDAs in Ekiti State will further deepen the existing relationship between government and our people as well as enhance our commitment to the rapid development of all our communities in line with this administration’s 5-pillar developmental agenda.
“The 19 new council areas were to operate as Local Council Development Areas pending the concurrence of the National Assembly, which would accord them the status of full-fledged local government councils.
“We went a step further by inaugurating Caretaker Chairmen for all the existing 16 Local Government Areas and the newly created 19 Local Council Development Areas.”
The Governor, at the occasion constituted an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the committee’s report.
The eight-member committee, headed by the Attorney General,
Olawale Fapohunda, is expected to review report of the LCDA Committee and propose an Appropriate Legal Framework for the establishment of Proposed LCDAs.
The Committee will prepare a framework for the distribution of assets, liabilities and personnel between existing LGAs and the proposed LCDAs, as well as plan date and required human and financial resources to support commencement of LCDAs.
It is also expected to advise the State Government on any other matter that would facilitate the effective take off and sustainability of the LCDAs.
The Committee has three months to complete it’s assignment.
