Some traditional rulers in Ido/Osi Local Government area of Ekiti State have appealed to the Committee superintending over the creation of Local Council Development Authorities (LCDAs) to embrace justice and fairness in the location of the LCDAs’ headquarters .
The traditional rulers; the Olosi of Osi-Ekiti, Oba Oladiran Adewoye Agunbiade, Olugbole of Igbole-Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Olugbenga Ajayi and the Onifisin of Ifisin Ekiti, Oba Folarin Fabunmi, backed the creation of new LCDAs from the existing Ido/Osi Council with headquarters in Osi Ekiti.
The monarchs, represented by the Olosi-in -Council made the call while addressing the committee on creation of LCDAs in Ado-Ekiti.
READ ALSO:Media firm trains Niger Delta youths on community reporting, citizen journalism
The monarchs in a paper presented to the committee, expressed optimism that the committee would study their request and do justice to it.
The traditional rulers commended Governor Kayode Fayemi for putting machinery in motion to consider creating LCDAs in the state to bring government closer the people and for administrative convenience.
Speaking for the delegation, the Odofin of Osi Ekiti, Engr. Olaiya Faturoti, disclosed that similar agitations have been made and presented to successive governments and committees between 1955, 1995, 2003 and 2014.
“The creation of a local government from Igbole-Osi-Ifisin axis will bring governance closer to the people and ensure administrative convenience.
“This agitation has been on for a long time and that accounted for the recognition granted Osi Ekiti when a new local government was carved out of the old Ero Council and named Ido/Osi Local Government that is in existence today.”
Faturoti said Ido and Osi were the two paramount land owners in the local government since time immemorial .
“Ido-Ekiti has been the headquarters of the LGA in existing since creation and Osi should be headquarters of the proposed LCDA, to be created soon in the spirit of fairness and Justice.
“We do not have the official figure of the number of LCDAs to be created out of the existing 16 LGAs. Our position however is that, if any LCDA is to be created out of the extant Ido/Osi LGA, then an Osi LCDA, with headquarters in Osi Ekiti must be the first consideration.”
He said Ifisin-Ekiti and Igbole Ekiti and few others have expressed their readiness to work with Osi-Ekiti as the headquarters of the proposed LCDA.