The Governance Advisory Council (GAC) Assessment and Inspection Committee, led by the former Deputy Governor of the State, Mr. Femi Pedro, visited the Odiolowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The visit aimed to gather first-hand information on the council’s performance and engage with local stakeholders.
Pedro emphasized the committee’s mandate to evaluate the progress and performance across all twenty local governments and thirty-seven local council development areas.
“Our committee is saddled with the responsibility of visiting all the twenty local government and thirty-seven local council development areas,” he stated. Highlighting the importance of local governance, he added, “As we all know, the local government is the closest government to the people at the grassroots level. We don’t want to wait till the election period to evaluate our party’s performance.”
Addressing past election failures attributed to underperformance at the grassroots, Mr. Pedro clarified, “This measure is not to witch-hunt the LCDA or to stage a competition where we will grade them, but it is to serve as a feedback mechanism to advise the chairmen appropriately.”
The LCDA Chairman expressed gratitude to the GAC delegation, detailing the challenges faced at the start of his tenure, including overcoming misinformation and completing abandoned projects.
“We realized most of the misinformation emanated within our party members because of disaffection among us were the root cause of the problem,” he said.
The commendation from various stakeholders echoed the chairman’s efforts. Community Development Committee Chairman Otunba Adebayo Adekunle praised the Chairman’s performance, stating, “Hon. Ajala is the best thing that has happened to the LCDA because he has performed excellently.”
The party Chairman, Hon. Ismail Babatunde Kazeem, expressed pride in the Chairman, asserting, “I can walk confidently on every street across the LCDA with my shoulders high.”
Princess Akinlude, Education Secretary of Mushin Local Government, applauded the chairman’s contributions to education, mentioning interventions in infrastructure, welfare, and sports. Oba of Odiolowo, Oba Sikirulah Williams Osu I, vouched for the authenticity of the council’s accomplishments, urging the delegation not to stress over further inspections.
Pedro, responding to concerns about the purported scrapping of the 37 LCDAs, assured that efforts are being made to elevate them to full-fledged local governments.
He praised the Chairman for his achievements, supported by stakeholder comments and project visuals.
Hon. Mrs. Jumoke Okoya Thomas commended the LCDA for its exemplary development, hoping other local governments would follow suit. The inspection concluded with the team lauding the ongoing construction of administrative blocks, marking a testament to the chairman’s commitment to infrastructural growth.
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