Ijebu-Ode – Mr Adedayo Adeneye, the Ogun Commissioner for Information and Strategy, says he supports the call for creation of additional Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in the state.
He said that the new development areas would complement existing local governments in the state.
Adeneye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ijebu-Ode on Tuesday that the LCDAs would help to further bridge the gap between government and the people in the areas of intervention.
He said that Gov. Ibikunle Amosun’s pursuit of additional 37 LCDAs to complement the existing 20 local governments in the state was in furtherance of efforts to deliver dividends of democracy.
NAN reports that Amosun, had on March 10, written to the State House of Assembly proposing a bill to restructure the existing 20 area councils to 57 to enhance development.
The bill, titled: The Local Government (Amendment) Law H.B. No 02/OG/2016, has since passed second reading at the floor of the assembly.
“We all know what the situation of the country is; there is a lot of poverty out there.
“A lot of the people need intervention in the area of empowerment, so government cannot afford to relax in its economic reforms agenda.
“Albert Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing, same way, everyday and expecting a different result.
“Creating more LCDAs would make sure that the dividends of democracy would reach further to the grassroots and rural areas. That’s what the creation of additional LCDAs is all about.
“Governors or state governments have nothing to gain, but rather to seek ways to empower the people and yield to their yearnings for development,” said Adeneye.
On the worrisome state of the nation’s economy, the commissioner urged the public not to relent in supporting government to find a way out through appropriate palliative measures.
“Nigerians must be realistic to admit that the dire situation of the economy was not only peculiar to the nation following the global instability in the price of crude oil and rising inflation.
“In as much as we are asking Nigerians to tighten their belts, we also have to encourage them through empowerment programmes so that they don’t despair in the midst of challenges.
“Government will continue to do what it can to sustain the people and empower them, but the people too must remain steadfast in their support for government and its reform programmes,” he said.
Adeneye urged the Federal Government to continue to look for ways of developing the solid minerals and the agriculture sectors, rather than relying mostly on crude oil.
He identified agriculture as veritable means of turning around the country’s fortunes, particularly if the opportunities in the sector were tapped and maximised.
“Development of agric is one of our five cardinal programmes in Ogun as Nigeria is blessed with mineral resources for us to maximise their exploration for the benefit of all.
“We spend a lot of money importing foods which shouldn’t be as we have the land and the labour.
“Ogun State has diversified fully into the agriculture sector as you know and we hope to do more of that.
“We hope to reach that level where we can feed Nigeria and not just Ogun or some few states,” he said.
The commissioner advised the three tiers of government to accord priority to agriculture by making it attractive to youths through capital investment waivers.
He also called for massive public and private investments in agriculture, adding that it was the panacea to unemployment. (NAN)