Town hall meeting: Akinyele residents decry lack of potable water, roads

Residents of Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State have decried the neglect by the tate government in area of provision of social amenities in the council.

The people complained about the neglect at a Town Hall meeting organised by Justice, Development and   Peace Commission (JDPC), Catholic Archdiocese of  Ibadan,  at  the  Day Care’s Centre,  Local Government   Secretariat, Moniya, Ibadan, recently.

According to them, “there is no potable water, our roads are bad, there is no conducive teaching and learning environment in our public schools and recalcitrant behaviour of the students, among other things.”

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the Oyo   State House   of Assembly, Honourable Bolaji Badmos, said it is constitutional   and   obligatory   for  Nigerians voted   into   office   to  render account   of stewardship to constituents regularly.

Honourable Badmus, representing Akinyele II State Constituency, stressed that such gathering affords political office holders the opportunity to brief constituents properly on their mandate and also feel pulse on government policies and programmes.

The lawmaker highlighted his various landmark contributions in the assembly which includes, the Community Service Bill, the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill; a bill to establish the Oyo State residents’ registration agency and connected purposes, among others.

He further disclosed that as Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, he had overseen the amendment of the Local Government Laws of the state to give room for the creation of 35 newly created Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in order to enhance development across the state.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the council, Mr Ope Salami, solicited the understanding and support of the people for the government.

According to him, “To come out of recession, there is need to improve on internally generated revenue; which can only be achieved by carrying out our constitutional duties through regular payment of taxes and cooperation with the government to serve us better.”

Speaking earlier, the JDPC Programme Officer in charge of Democracy and Governance, Mr Jide Bamgbose, emphasised that lawmakers could perform effectively only if they have been able to animate their constituents and represent them effectively.

He further disclosed that the platform was organised to bridge communication gap between the people and their leaders and to provide platform for the people to articulate their positions on government’s policies and programmes.