Oyetola promises construction of 5-km of road per LG, governor, speaker, state party chair sue for peace among chairmen, councillors

By Kola Olabisi

Further dividends of democracy are coming to the door steps of the people of the State of Osun as Governor Gboyega Oyetola-led administration in the state is working towards the construction of a five-kilometre of road in each of the local government council areas and local council development areas across the state.

Governor Oyetola stated this during his maiden meeting with the grassroots political functionaries in Osogbo, the state capital, yesterday.

The governor who broke the good news to the assembly of the 68 local council and LCDA chairmen, Leaders, Scribes and 332 ward councillors in the state said, though it was not that the state was bouyant enough to effect the project but it would strive to get it accomplished in the interest of the overall development of the state.

In Governor Oyetola's words: "Though we don't have money but I am happy to inform you that my government is planning to empower all the local government council areas and the local council development areas across the state with the construction of a five-kilometre of road in each of the local government areas.

"Due priority attention should be followed by the combination of local government political functionaries on their choice of roads to be constructed in the interest of justice, fairness and equity. 

The meeting also has in attendance the state deputy Governor Gboyega Alabi, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Timothy Owoeye, the state Chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun, former state deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Ponnle and some other eminent members of the state cabinet.

In order to nip in the bud the festering crisis in some local government council areas and LCDAs among the grassroots political functionaries, the trio of the governor, the speaker and the state party chairman cautioned the parties to desist from promoting rancour in their domains and embrace all the layers of party mechanism to resolve crisis instead of needlessly externalising same.

It was the unanimous warning of the trio that any of the grassroots political functionaries who flouts the clarion call for maintenance of peace would be risking party discipline.

According to the governor, "we don't want rancour in our party. We don't want crisis among the grassroots political functionaries. That is what necessitated the holding of this meeting.

"The local government council chairmen should always remember that they were also councillors before they were elected the chairmen by their fellow councillors".

Oyetola reminded the local government council chairmen that as long as they always remember that they were first among equals in the discharging of their official responsibilities, there won't be any reason for peace to take flight from their various councils.

He also reminded the local government council chairmen not to be carried away by their current political status, telling them to embrace an open-door policy by constantly holding meetings with the other political functionaries in their domains.

In the governor's words: "You are defining and writing your political history everyday. The parliamentarians should not engage in unhealthy rivalry with their chairmen. They should rather wait for their own turn.

"You will be assisting our administration if you work in amity in order to discharge your official responsibilities to the people. This is why it is important for you to take an advantage of your closeness to the grassroots to provide dividends of democracy to the people", he counselled them.

In his own contribution, the Speaker lauded the initiative of the governor to have called the meeting saying, it came at the right time.

Owoeye tasked the grassroots political functionaries to lay good examples before the members of the public, reminding them that the local government administration was established for the government to be close to the people.

The number one lawmaker in the state stated that the House of Assembly under his watch has discovered that the grassroots political functionaries were fond of flagrantly flouting the Assembly laws and regulations guiding the running of the local government administration in the state.

Owoeye counselled the council political functionaries to always allow their official conduct to complement the genuine efforts of Governor Oyetola to further develop the state.

In his own contribution at the meeting, Famodun eulogised the political dexterity of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola who introduced the parliamentary system of government into the local government administration in the state, following its ratification by President Muhammed Buhari and the national leadership of the APC.

The state APC boss stated that it was the cost-effective feature of the parliamentary system of government that necessitated its introduction into the local government administration in the state, cautioning those who were thinking it would be the first time to adopt the system to perish their thought as he disclosed that he effectively used the system as the chairman of the old Boripe Local Government Council Area in the early nineties.

In Famodun's words: "Under the parliamentary system of government, local government chairmen are not executive chairmen. You should work with the Leaders and the council parliamentarians. Your current political status is a veritable training ground for any future aspiring politician.

"It's needless to create opposition among yourselves within the same party. The local government council chairmen should fear the power of the Leaders. Any chairman who doesn't control majority of the councillors is an abysmal failure in his political duty.

"It was because we believed it would work that made us to adopt this parliamentary system of government at the grassroots. You were elected to make by-laws that would benefit and enhance the welfare of the people. We are not unaware of the challenges you are facing with the people. But this is not enough reason for you not to perform optimally. If you are in a local government for four years, it is enough to be relevant politically forever.

"If you don't invest in the people, you are a failure. Invest in your constituents. Invest in churches and mosques", he tasked the local government council chairmen.

He enjoined the grassroots political functonaries to always take the advantage of the existing layers of maintenance of discipline within the party, reminding them that it's not the sole function of the state House of Assembly to burden it with the management of crisis among the grassroots political functionaries.

Famodun who also stated that it was important for the local government scribes and the councillors to always maintain the oath of secrecy about the day-to-day running of the councils counselled that internal mechanism should always be embraced in settling crises among the political council stakeholders, with a warning that "anyone who flouts this will be sanctioned accordingly".

In her own contribution, the immediate former deputy-governor of the state, Otunba(Mrs) Laoye-Ponnle, implored both the chairmen and the councillors to always work in unison, saying anything short of this would be counterproductive to the genuine establishment of the parliamentary system of government at the grassroots level.

Her words: "I am appealing to all the local government political functionaries to work with themselves in the interest of the people. The local government council chairmen should see themselves as first among equals as they were also councillors before they were elected the chairmen".

Among the political dignitaries at the meeting is the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Femi Akande; his counterpart in the Local Government  and Chieftaincy Affairs  Ministry, Prince Adebayo Adeleke; the state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Lekan Badmus; Mr Razaq Adeosun, Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Mr Jare Adebisi, the Deputy Chief of Staff(Administration). 

On the entourage of the state chairman of the party in the meeting was Alhaji Rasaq Salinshile, the State Secretary of the party; the state APC Women Leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde; the APC Osun Central Senatorial Chairman, Hon Adelakun Adeoye; his counterpart from Osun East, Hon Oladosu Ogunremi and all other members of the APC state executive council.

The Media Consultant to the state chairman of the party, Kola Olabisi, was also in attendance.