New Councils in Osun: Consolidation or confusion?

In the midst of dire financial straits, the creation of new development areas in Osun State and the equally strange decision to adopt parliamentary system in the local councils has been welcomed and condemned by the different political
tendencies in the state.The decision of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to dissolve the management committees of the existing 30 Local Councils and Area Office in Osun State and the creation of additional 31 Local Council development Areas, LCDA, three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices has continued to generate reactions from the stakeholders in the state. The governor in a special broadcast to the people of the state also terminated the appointments of their Executive Secretaries, deputy executive secretaries, members, Special Advisers and other functionaries in their various councils. While justifying his action, Aregbesola said his administration will make  judicious use of its revenues in such a way that increasing the number of councils will least constitute any financial burden. It would be recalled that the request for additional local councils by the people of the state after several legal procedures was sent to the state House of Assembly in the form of an executive bill. The House looked into the bill, set up a committee and subsequently, a referendum was held on February 19, 2015, in which the people of the state overwhelmingly gave a “Yes vote” on the bill. Financial challenges The House passed the bill creating 31 new Local Council Development Areas LCDAs, three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices, which was signed into law by the governor. Aregbesola and Omisore Aregbesola, speaking on why the state is creating more councils at the time of financial challenges, held that his administration had given it sufficient consideration, saying he has put in place procedures that will cost less and save money thus bringing rapid development. The governor stated that the state will be saving huge cost with the new system adding that the same number of staff will still run all the councils, and no new appointments will be made to existing ones. He hinted that the entire local government system will be managed by Council Managers for three months, adding that managers shall be appointed and deployed by Local Government Service Commission from among the substantive grade level 14 officers in the local governments. He said, “Many would be wondering and asking: why create more councils at this special time of financial challenges? We have also given sufficient consideration to this. With this new parliamentary system, it will cost less to run the new councils and save a lot of money for the government than in the past. “The primary responsibilities of our new local government system are sanitation, market management and revenue mobilisation and generation. This is consistent with local government administration worldwide. “The beauty of this new system is its parliamentary nature, which requires the chairman and the vice chairman to be elected by the councillors from among their own ranks, thereby saving cost,” the governor told the people of the state. He added that the creation of additional local government should not be seen as being alien in the sense that in advanced western democracies, the local government controls the police and provides many municipal services to the people. Osun new LCDAs: Continuation of Aregbesola’s confusion —PDP But the main opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP roundly condemned the action arguing that creation of additional local governments in any guise in the time of very serious economic crises was not auspicious. The PDP argued further that the introduction of a parliamentary system of government at the grassroots level when the nation is currently operating the presidential system at both the national and state levels would further lead to confusion. The party in a statement issued by Prince Diran Odeyemi, its spokesperson, said since coming on board, Governor Aregbesola has bewildered many with his actions to the extent that “Mr. Governor will, without contest, be given top prize as the “most confused governor in Nigeria.” Odeyemi said the creation of additional 31 LCDAs when the existing 30 local government areas are unable to pay workers salaries let alone embark on any developmental projects in the last five years of being in office is evidence that “our governor is confused and bereft of ideas.” Developmental projects He added: “it is not hidden Mr. Aregbesola is controversy personified and infusing such clumsiness into the governance of the state that Osun, once a pride among states in the country is now a laughing stock among others will forever be counted against the governor. “Why must Osun copy Lagos for everything? This same Ogbeni Aregbesola introduced and renamed Osun State to State of Osun, wasted scarce resources of the state to plant flowers from Asejire to Owena, cruise around in helicopter because Fashola has one, created series of “Os” from “O Yes- to O No”, what a funny and confused Governor. “The same governor introduced same uniform in all schools in Osun and separated the state from the National Education system to his own special one which led to mass failure in WAEC exam.” “We call on Gov Aregbesola to stop creating more problems for the people of Osun and resign if he has nothing to offer the people of the state”. But in defense of Aregbesola, Dr Ajibola Bashiru, a lawyer and former Special Duties commissioner to Aregbesola and one of the key players in the new arrangement said, “there is no such thing as confusion in running a parliamentary system within the context of presidential system. “The applicable constitutional provision to local government is section 7 and merely prescribed that the local governments should be run under a law that is democratic.  “No prescription on whether parliamentary or presidential.  It is beyond debate that both systems are recognised democratic means of government.  To me, parliamentary system is even more democratic apart from being cost efficient. “It means that there will not be another set of councillors from the ward of the chairman and vice and other executives. They will also earn salaries as councillors and can be removed democratically by the councillors by two-third majority. “We believe in the competence of our civil servants to birth the new structure within 90 days before involving politicians The civil service in the states has shown resilience in spite of present funding challenges”, he added. Similarly, the APC in the state has congratulated the people and government for the creation of new local government announced by Governor Aregbesola . The party especially congratulated the governor “for painstakingly following the constitutional process required to create new local governments. The chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun in a statement said: “this is one great moment for Osun because the landmark achievement of creating new local governments will further enhance peace within and between communities of the state as well as increase the potential for more efficient internally generated revenue for the state as well as for the local governments.” According to him, “the ball is now in the court of the people to demonstrate their appreciation through dedicated effort at keeping the new as well as the old local councils running. The chairman called on the people “to stand firm and fully give their support to the government which in spite of the financial challenges  the state is going through,  Osun is not standing still. It is not stagnant, but moving on with positive steps to bring the best it could afford to the people.”