• LCDAs creation ill-timed —SDP
THE All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, has challenged Accord Party, as well as other opposition elements against the implementation of the law creating Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) to seek redress in the court rather than resort to self-help or make any attempt to mislead the public over the issue.
The party made this known in a statement issued in Ibadan by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, stating that “it was unfortunate that some individuals or groups would throw decorum into the winds and kick against a people-oriented plan of action which implementation was long overdue after years of neglect.”
It will be recalled that the state government, last week, made public its readiness to implement the provision of a law passed by the state House of Assembly in August 2002, which legalised the creation of additional 35 Local Government Areas to the existing 33, but some opposition figures have kicked against the move describing it as unnecessary.
According to Sadare, “We are so much worried about the decision of some uninformed politicians to pour away the bath water with the baby in their bid to attract undue attention to themselves. This is so because most discerning minds are aware of the fact that the present Oyo State was short-changed in the scheme of things during the creation of new states and local government councils by the Babangida and Abacha military juntas.
“Now that another opportunity has presented itself with the present administration ready to do the needful, we expect everyone to support Senator Ajimobi on this as well as all his people-oriented programmes.
“However, we challenge those who may not be comfortable with the development to employ the legal option,” APC said.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State has described the resolve of Governor Ajimobi-led government to create 35 LCDAs as Greek gift and ill-timed initiative.
In a release signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Akeem Azeez, the party said the move was confusing, at a time when the APC government claimed lack of fund as reason for irregular payment of salary and pension.
The party, therefore, wondered where the state government intended to fund the newly created LCDAs and regarded the move as a misappropriation of priority.
“One is pressed to ask how many developmental projects have been completed in the 33 local government areas of the state in the last five years APC has been in government in the state.
“It is ill-timed due to the fact that the state is bleeding on account of non-payment of salary to workers and pensioners. How would the newly created LCDAs get take-off grants from a state that cannot meet up with his financial obligations to workers, contractors and citizens.
“This is a Greek gift by the APC-led government to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public to regain its long lost positive image and credible perception. This should be discarded and disapproved by the good people of Oyo State.
“The APC-led government ought to look for ways out of the current financial entrapment it caused itself rather than starting what will further compound the financial woes of the state considering that the new LCDAs will need funds to cater for staff and other political appointees,” the statement read.