Governor Seyi Makinde was on Tuesday applauded for using the local government councils and local community development areas (LCDAs) to fast-track the growth of the grassroot. The applause came from traditional rulers, religious leaders, party leaders and youths’ bodies that attended the official commissioning of projects, inauguration of 300 youths and women for vocational training and presentation of a refurbished pick-up van to the Eleyele Divisional police station at Oke-Badan North Local Council Development Area, Eleyele, Ibadan. The projects were embarked upon by the Caretaker Chairman of the LCDA, Alhaji Ganiy Abiodun Omotosho and his caretaker committee to replicate the programmes of the Seyi Makinde-led administration in Oyo State. In her words, the Chairman, Oyo State Local Government Pensions Board, Hon. Aderemi Ayodele said the vocational training for 300 youths and women in the local council would go a long way to reduce the level of unemployment and crime rate in the rural areas in the council. He said the gestures of the Chairman, which spanned human capital development, security and infrastructural development was a replica of what the State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde stood for in governance. Aderemi said the building of the LCDA secretariat by the Chairman and his committee would go into the record as the first administration in the LCDA to construct a new secretariat for the workers and the people of the area. “Hon. Omotosho has done exactly what governor Seyi Makinde has been known for, which is to go all out to do things others believed can never be done, the construction of a new secretariat for Oke-Badan North Local Council Development Area, the refurbishment of a pick-up van as a patrol vehicle for the police and training of 300 youths and women are giant steps that will soon be yielding positive results. The Chairman, Oke-Badan North Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Ganiy Abiodun Omotosho said the projects commissioned were the results of a tour he embarked upon on resumption in office when he was freshly appointed, adding that his visit to security agents and the nooks and crannies of the council area made him see the real needs of the people. “As you are all aware that 35 LCDAs were created out of and in addition to the existing 33 local government areas in the State by the past administration and sustained by this administration of governor Seyi Makinde, the main reason for creating and sustenance of these LCDAs, of which Oke-Badan North LCDA is among is to make governance and democracy more closer to the people of the grassroot. “On my assumption of office, I toured all the wards, markets and offices of security agents within the LCDA to familiarize with them and get down their urgent needs, most especially infrastructural facilities, the outcome of the tour called for our gathering here today, it gladdens my heart that we are all living witnesses to the fulfilment of some of those promises we made then.” Highlights of the event include the presentation of the key of the refurbished patrol van to the representative of the Divisional Police Officer, Eleyele Divisional Police station, commissioning of the reconstructed and renovated LCDA secretariat offices, conference hall, VIP toilets and boreholes among others. Other dignitaries at the event are the Commissioner for Special Duties, Hon. Funmilayo Orisadeyi, who was represented by Mrs Adedokun Oyenike, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Bayo Lawal, who was also represented by the Director, Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Aiki Tunde, the Chairman Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA), Mogaji Akin Fagbemi, Chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ibadan North-West Local Government and Oke-Badan North LCDA, Alhaji Lukman Adesina as well as the Baale of Eleyele, Engr. Kolawole Durowade and the Special Adviser to the governor on Ibadan North-West Local government, Alhaji Labule Isola.
