A group under the auspices of the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has cautioned Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola over the newly created Local Council Development Areas, Area Councils and Administrative Offices, insisting that the State was not economically viable to have new LCDAs, Area Councils and Administrative Offices.
It also stated that Osun State was not financially buoyant like Lagos State to have more Local Council Development Areas (LCDA), Area Councils and Administrative Offices, alleging that the motive behind the splitting of the constitutionally recognized 30 local Government areas and Modakeke Area office, by Mr. Aregbesola was to polarize the people at the grassroots more in the State.
According to the statement issued and signed by the CSCEOS’ Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, which a copy was made available to newsmen on Thursday, that Aregbesola used the creation of the new Council areas to bamboozle the people of the State so as not to request for the conduct of the Local government election again because Aregbesola knew that if the local government election was conducted
today, it would not have power again to divert the council allocations as it is presently done.
Comrade Sulaiman recalled the recent statement credited to the former Interim National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande where he advised the Federal Government to merge some States that were not economically viable presently like Osun State under Aregbesola’s watch, querying rhetorically that how the State like Osun that was not viable financially would create more area councils, when their leader clamouring for merger of non-viable States which Osun is one of them.
He described the Local Council Development Areas, Area Councils and Administrative created by Mr. Aregbesola as misplacement of priority when the current constitutionally recognized Local government areas of the State could not function and compete very well with her counterpart in other States of the federation, advising the people to stop rejoicing over the new splitting of the existing Council areas because the Aregbesola made- creation could not stand the test of time like that of Lagos State which it was financially buoyant to run the State without Federal Allocation.
Sulaiman described Aregbesola’s action as misplacement of priority and political in order to continue diverting the local government allocations into his private pocket by denying the people in the council areas their political participation right as stipulated in the amended 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, advising the people at the grass root level of the State to reject the Rauf Aregbesola’s Greek gifts of the year 2016 because people have been short changing with this development.
He added: “The truth must be told, it is sad that the person of Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is currently Osun State Governor, Osun State is not economically viable to create new Local Council Development Areas, Area Councils and Administrative Offices.
“Mr. Aregbesola has hidden political and financial agenda to perpetrate and that is the reason why he created non-viable Council areas. The good people of Osun State will be at the receiving end on this unconstitutional Local Council areas.
“Osun people should not rejoice over it, rather, they should reject it out rightly because the newly created Council areas cannot stand the test of the time.
“Let us tell our people the bitter truth, copy of Lagos State style of governance will spell doom for the State. Mr. Aregbesola knows that if the local government election is conducted, it would bring even development to the nooks and crannies of the State but it will not give him power to divert the council fund
again,” he said.
