Mr Biodun Oyebanji, governor of Ekiti state, swore in the 38 new local government chairmen and their deputies on Thursday, January 4, encouraging them to prioritize dramatic improvements in the security of persons and property, as well as income production, in their respective council areas.
Oyebanji also directed the council chairmen to accelerate development by building on the solid foundation provided by their predecessors, emphasizing that his administration would not accept any security lapses at the third tier of government while they were in charge.
The governor made these remarks in Ado-Ekiti at the inauguration event for the new council chairmen, which took place at Osuntokun Pavillion, Government House, Ado Ekiti.
The new council chairmen were chosen during the state’s local government election on December 2, 2023.
Addressing the new council bosses, Oyebanji, represented by the deputy governor, Monisade Afuye, described the Local Government as an integral part of his government’s overall development focus and strategy, requiring adequate attention to combat the menaces of poverty, joblessness, and insecurity.
Despite the numerous hurdles that come with being a pioneer, the Governor congratulated the immediate previous Chairmen and those who were reelected for exhibiting enough political and administrative ability to deliver.
The Governor urged them to discharge their duties with “honesty, impartiality, evenhandedness, compassion, and fairness,” expressing zero tolerance for corruption and pilfering of council funds, and adding that they must work assiduously for the realization of his government’s shared prosperity mantra.
The State’s Chief Executive said that he decided to set in motion the apparatus for the conduct of local government elections in order to demonstrate his desire for the councils to be managed democratically.
He praised the prior Chairmen for their great performances and for being astute and deft in playing local politics, which was primarily concerned with the operation of the local government system, stating that this reflected in their acceptability and connectivity with the people.
On his vow to rid Ekiti of bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal elements, the Governor challenged the chairmen with prioritizing security at all times, adding, “You must be deliberate about this.”
“Your security plans and strategies should be communicated to me through the office of Special Adviser on Security, as soon as you take over. I will not tolerate security lapses in your domains, therefore, ensure all critical stakeholders are carried along and are involved”.
Oyebanji advised the new council bosses against relying solely on the funds accruing to them from the federation and state accounts to run the affairs of the councils, to avert administrative failure and inability to fulfil their electioneering promises.
“You need money to run a successful administration. It is not enough to rely on federal and state allocations, you have to improve your internally generated revenue and ensure it forms a sizeable source of your funding revenue.
“One of your major performance metrics will be how much IGR you generate and how much it contributes to your project financing. The government will be looking at the possibility of giving conditional, mileage-incentive to councils with significant IGR improvement”.
The Chairman of Ajoni LCDA, Hon. Michael Ogungbemi, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, pledged that they would work hard to surpass the expectations of the governor in their performances.
Ogungbemi added that the new council bosses will complement the governor’s deft move to rescue Ekiti from poverty, by replicating his policies at the local government level.