- Govt says Assembly has the authority to make alterations to the LCDAs list
- Govt says list not in the public domain and remains a top secret
On Monday, the Ondo State Government distanced itself from the list of the newly created 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) being circulated across the state, stating that the official list will be made public after the State House of Assembly passes and gazettes it.
The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, clarified this during a press parley in Akure, the state capital.
She said the list sent to the State Assembly is not the final version, and the Assembly has the authority to make alterations to the LCDAs list.
She emphasized that the list is still not in the public domain and remains a top secret. Mrs Ademola-Olateju condemned the leakage of the list and distanced the government from its circulation in the state.
“You know, people will leak information, but it’s inappropriate. LCDAs have been approved by the executives, we all took an oath of secrecy while taking this job, and I think we should express fidelity to the oath we’ve taken. I don’t know who leaked it, but I condemn it, and I say it is inappropriate.
We have three arms of government. When the executive has decided, it has to be ratified by the House of Assembly,” she stated.
She further explained, “So, giving it to the press was wrong. That is preempting the House of Assembly. The House can still tinker with the delegation and the areas. For instance, let’s say Akure South Local Government has been demarcated into three LCDAs, when it gets to the House, you know, there are political interests and other considerations.
They might decide to say we can only have two. So, if we have released it to the public, we will have to go and change it again. That is why it was not given to the press or made public.”
However, she clarified, “The fact remains that 33 LCDAs were created in addition to the 18 local government areas, but it is still subject to debate, ratification, and the governor will assent to it. So, the list you are seeing, we completely disown it; it’s inappropriate.”
Regarding the state government’s efforts to restore electricity to residents of Ondo South Senatorial District, which had been in darkness for close to 15 years, she assured that Governor Akeredolu will not leave office without restoring power to the area.
Mrs Ademola-Olateju stated, “I know for sure that certain kilowatts of electricity will be generated by a private company coming to Ondo State.
I am bold to say that by the time Governor Akeredolu will be leaving office in February 2025, based on our estimate, Akure and its environs will have 22 hours of power supply. I know it will be a big relief for the residents of this area. We are even considering our own Electricity Regulation Commission. So, everything is ready.”