By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Leader, Kwara State House of Assembly in the Second Republic, Hon. Stephen Wole Oke, has called for the creation of 30 Local Government Council Development Areas out of the existing 16 Local Government Areas in the State.

Chief Wole Oke, who is also the Jagunmolu of Shao and Bashorun of Jebba, in a statement he personally signed, appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to, as a matter of necessity, initiate the necessary process in creating the Local Government Council Development Areas.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart cited states like Lagos, Nasarawa, Oyo and Ebonyi that have done so, adding that Ondo State would follow suit soon with the relevant Bill already being processed in the State House of Assembly.

Wole Oke, who expatiated on Local Government creation in Nigeria, said: “The history of Kwara State, like the other first generation States in Nigeria, started in 1967 when the former administrative structure of the country comprising provinces were crafted into 12 States: six in the northern region and six in the southern regions of East and West. The two Provinces of Ilorin and Kabba were crafted into what was then named West Central State, while other States were similarly created. Not too long after its creation, the West Central State had its name changed to Kwara State with Ilorin remaining its headquarters. All this was under the military dispensation of the Gowon era.”

The APC chieftain, who is also Member, Kwara State Governor’s Advisory Council, added: “As at the time of this geographical transformation, Native Authority Administration was the closest form of liaison between the government and the people at the grassroots level. Kwara State then had three Native Authorities.
The new State was under the Military Governor, Colonel David Bamigboye.

“By December 18, 1968, however, a new administrative structure was introduced when the Native Authorities were changed into Divisional Administration and the State restructured into eight Administrative Divisions emerging from the two old Provinces of Ilorin and Kabba constituting the new State of Kwara under the leadership of Colonel David Bamigboye. This was some eight years before the Local Government Reforms of 1976 under Muritala/Obasanjo Military Junta was introduced. This Reform gave birth to 12 Local Governments in Kwara State, which structure remained until the advent of Civilian Administration of the Second Republic, which began in 1979.

“Since the era of the civilian rule in the Second Republic; passing through the ephemeral Third Republic; and leading to the current Fourth Republic, the fate of local government administration as an institution, as the third tier of government in Kwara State, in terms of structure has been vacillating. The number of local government areas, to which the former Ilorin province was carved into in 1976, as stated earlier, was eight. Some of these eight local government areas have today undergone serious transformation, with each now being formed into two or four local government areas, whereas a few of them have been static, no transformation; they have up till today remained in their 1976 position. These are : Ifelodun, Asa and Moro.”

He added: “Taking a cue from the universally pronounced purpose of the existence of Local government as a Third Tier of Government, which is to bring the government closer to the people, and being the
raison d’etre for the introduction of Local Government Reform in Nigeria in 1976, the local government as an institution with such defined political objectives, has not fulfilled these laudable objectives here in Kwara State. We can all today bear witness to what is happening in other parts of the country where new local governments are being created under the guise of Local government Council development Areas in order to beat the constitutional requirements for Creation of Local Government.”

The Jagunmolu of Shao stated that If the primary objective of institutionalising the local government system is to bring governance closer to the people, for the greatest benefits of the greatest number of the people, then Kwara State should not be left behind in Nigeria, saying other States are moving ahead with the entrenchment of this third tier
system of governance and urged that the state should not be found wanting in this regard.

He therefore appealed to Governor AbdulRazaq to consider the necessity for the creation of Local Government Council Development Areas (LGCDA) in the State as other States have been doing, adding that he was inclined to suggest that 30 LGCDAs should be created to favour more neglected and static Local Government Areas of Ifelodun, Moro and Asa.

He said: “The trio local governments should be given priority consideration where Ifelodun will be carved into four local government council development areas, while Moro and Asa should each be respectively broken into three LGCDAs. Their geographical size and population justify the number of LGCDAs being proposed for the three Local Government Areas,” adding that AbdulRazaq, who wants the best for the State would have the strong political will to do the needful.

He said: “In the interest of the State and its citizens, the Governor needs to engage in low politics, as well as high politics, respectively in the best interest of the citizens and for the survival of the State. These are the elements, which the matter now at hand demand. May the Almighty God continue to help our Governor and to continue to direct his life’s path in his most commendable service of the people.”