EKITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday pledged to create more local council areas in the state to bring development closer to the people at the grassroots.
The governor promised to work with the House of Assembly and the National Assembly to facilitate the creation of the new councils in accordance with the yearnings of the people of the state. Ekiti currently has 16 local councils.
Fayemi spoke at a village square meeting held with the people of Ikole Local Council to get their inputs into the 2012 budget and the projects they want the government to execute for them in the new fiscal year.
According to him, “it is not the business of the Federal Government to determine the number of local councils in the state, but we will do our best to ensure that due process is followed in the exercise. We will work with our people in the parliament to put machinery in motion to realise this lofty aim.
“A government committee will be set up to review the process of delineating the local council areas and we will involve our traditional rulers in consultation”Responding to a request by the stakeholders for more local
councils, Fayemi vowed to ensure that Ikole Council, which is made up of 24 communities, is split into at least two council areas before the expiration of his tenure.
His words: “This is the largest local council area visited by me since the commencement of the statewide village square and town hall meetings to request for the projects that our people want us to carry out through next year’s budget.
“One of the requests is to split this local council into four and this is not a question of if but a question of when. Ikole Local Council is not likely to remain one local council by the time our tenure of office expires”.
The governor later held a similar meeting with the people of Oye Local Council where he kicked off the construction of 43-kilometre Oye-Otun Road, which is expected to be completed within 12 months.
“This road has suffered from lack of attention; the road was constructed up to the boundary between Isan and Iludun. We have got a good contractor that has a track record to work on the road”, Fayemi said.
He assured the people of his local council that the 2012 budget would be tailored towards providing them with water, electricity, good roads and other infrastructure.