Argbesola Approves The Creation Of 31 Local Councils In Osun

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State yesterday approved the commencement of Parliamentary system of government at the grassroots, with the creation of 31 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

This was in addition to the existing 30 local government areas in the state.

In a statewide broadcast, Aregbesola also announced the creation of three Area Councils and two Administrative Offices.

He said the new LCDAs were created based on the request of the people to expand the scope of local government administration and enhance their participation, adding that they would not impose any financial burden on the state.

“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.

“In addition, the same number of staff will run all the councils as no new appointments will be made. We shall make the most judicious use of our revenues in such a way that increasing the number of councils will least constitute any financial burden,” he said.

He said the importance of local government cannot be overstated, pointing out that it is where the government is designed to be closest to the people.
The governor said the list of the new LCDAs, the administrative offices and their headquarters would be published soon.

He also announced the dissolution of the management committees of the 30 local councils and areas, adding that in the interim, the local government areas would be administered by Council Managers for three months.

The Osun State House of Assembly had on May 25, 2015 passed a bill for the creation of the 31 LCDAs.