- Group accuses Aregbesola of diverting LG funds
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has assured that the 31 new Local Council Development Authorities would be included in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Aregbesola said that his administration had concluded plans to make an official presentation of the councils to the National Assembly.
The governor stated this in his office on Wednesday while receiving the reports of the committees set up on boundary delineation and adjustment as well as assets sharing committee for the newly created LCDAs and area offices.
Stressing that his administration was ready to breathe life into the new councils created in March, this year, Governor Aregbesola noted that with the submission of the reports on boundary delineation and assets sharing by the various committees, the old and new councils must be presented formally to the National Assembly for approval.
He disclosed that a team that would make an official presentation of the newly created councils to the National Assembly was already working to ensure that an approval was given to make it part of the nation’s constitution.
Aregbesola had in a state broadcast to the people of the state announced the creation of additional 31 Local Council development Areas, 3 area councils and two administrative offices.
The governor also announced the dissolution of the management committees of the existing 30 Local Councils and Area Offices, their executive secretaries, deputy executive secretaries, members, special advisers and other functionaries.
Expressing confidence that an approval for the establishment of the local councils would be given by the Federal lawmakers, Aregbesola said operators of the LCDAs would have a good ground to operate.
His words: “I urge the head of service to quickly push this through for gazette. I am happy that at least for the purpose of institutionalising the LCDAs as well as the old ones, we followed the structure of the law enacted by the House of Assembly and assented to by me. We can be sure that within the state, we have fulfilled all righteousness.
“But the exercise is still not fully concluded. A group is working on our presentation to the National Assembly so as to make it part of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We must present the old and new Local Government Areas formally to the National Assembly. So, a team is working on it for it to be nationally accepted, which will be the first in Nigeria because we have diligently gone through the process of creation by law. ”
But a group in the state, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State, has petitioned some international bodies against Aregbesola, accusing him of diverting local government funds.
According to the Chairman of the civil society, Alimi Sulaiman, the governor had repealed the third tier of government and the action had started to have negative effects on the people of the state.
While calling for a quick intervention of the international community, the group said it had written to the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, over the alleged diversion of funds.
