Creation of LCDAs in Oyo misplaced priority —Accord

The Oyo State chapter of the Accord Party has described as a misplaced priority, the creation of 39 local council development areas by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government at a time when people of the state have not felt the essence of the existing council areas in the last five years.

The party noted that no consultation or referendum was conducted by government before “the policy was breathed down on the people of the state.”

A statement by the party’s publicity secretary, Dr Nureni Adeniran, said the “unnecessary duplication of bureaucracy” by Governor Abiola Ajimobi under the guise of bringing government closer to the grassroots was deceitful, because “there has been no governance at the council level since 2011.

“Nothing further explains the absence of a third-tier government in the state since the advent of the APC government than the comatose state of primary healthcare centres, primary schools, local government roads and non-availability of other municipal services.”

“Now that 39 LCDAs are going to be added, there will obviously be additional burden for the already cumbered councils.

“At present, the local government workers are being owed several months of salaries with little or no development going on.

“One wonders where the funding of the so-called LCDAs will be coming from. Accord sees this action as a deliberate ploy by the governor to delay or totally avoid the conduct of the much expected local government election.