Stop creation of 39 new councils - PDP tells Aregbesola

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News

The opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Osun State has advised the governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to suspended whatever plans he has to create 39 local council in addition to the existing ones.

In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Strategy of the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi on Sunday, the PDP said the current problem in Osun State do not encourage such decision.

 

According to the party, the existing councils are suffering due to the financial problem in the state and have not been able to make positive difference on the people at the grassroots.

The PDP also accused Aregbesola of copying Lagos strategy even though it will not work in the state instead of making plans to rescue the problem of his inability to pay salaries.

PDP said “The reality in Osun calls for serious planning because the economy of the state now or even in near future cannot cope with 69 local government councils when the state could not generate fund to develop the existing 30 councils.

“This is a poorly conceived idea lacking the understanding and needs of the people of Osun State while its proposed execution at this time shows that Governor Aregbesola has lost ideas of what is next in the state.

“The rest of the country must be astonished about a governor that has not been able to fulfill its financial obligations to the workforce and plunge the state economy into a crisis, but interestingly planning to create new councils to make Osun as the only state in Nigeria to have 69 councils.”

 

“Copying Lagos notes is affecting Osun negatively. Buying helicopter, creating LCDAs, planting flowers are all Lagos ideas. Aregbesola is running Osun as a sole administrator. In his first term, it took him almost one year before he could constitute his cabinet.

“Again 10 months into his second term, the cabinet has not been formed and may not be formed at all for obvious reasons. Even, when his commissioners were in office, the whole state knows he does not listen to their suggestions. He governs the state as a sole administrator,” the opposition party added.

Media effort to get response from the state government over the advise by PDP proved abortive as questions sent to the aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon is yet to be replied.

The bill to create additional 39 local councils were passed by the last House of Assembly which had all its members from All Progressives Congress, before the expiration of its tensure.

The bill was based due to the referendum conducted by the state Independent Electoral Commission and followed by the bill sent by the state governor to the lawmakers requesting for the approval for the creation of new council areas.

Defending the decision, the former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, had said the councils were to be created for administrative reasons.

The speaker added that the creation of additional local council areas became necessary in order to bring the government closer to the people.

He said “The primary purpose of the creation of the councils and administrative units was for the administrative conveniences, not to hyper-bloat the already existing over-bloated civil and political regimes which have become an albatross to the limited resources of the state.”

Stop creation of 39 new councils - PDP tells Aregbesola