Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Friday July 30, 2021, charged the 351 Councilors and 33 Clerks of the local government legislative councils to take development to all the nooks and crannies of their localities, by putting in place by-laws and motions that would affect people at the grassroots positively.
Makinde, who gave the charge in Ibadan, at the end of a 3-day training for the councilors and clerks of local government legislative councils held between July 28 to 30, 2021, said the training had prepared grounds for the councilors on the tasks ahead of them in their respective council areas.
The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, Hon. Ademola Adejumobi, explained that the training was centred on legislative roles and functions in the local government.
According to a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa, the governor admonished the participants to truly represent the interests of their various communities and adhere to the policy thrust of inclusiveness being anchored by the state government.
He also charged them to apply everything they have learnt in the course of the training in their day-to-day legislative duties at the local government level.
Makinde assured residents of the 33 local government areas that developmental projects of the state government would be replicated at their respective local government areas.
While delivering a lecture with the topic ‘Rural Infrastructure, Food Security and Rural Development in Nigeria’, Prof. Tajudeen Aluko of the Obafemi Awolowo University, posited that concentration of infrastructure development in urban areas was not the best, saying that rural areas deserve to be developed.
He asserted that such infrastructure development in rural areas would encourage people to dwell there, thus reducing the challenge of rural-urban migration.
Aluko also maintained that the basis the cities rest on are the rural areas, saying the rural areas are the centre pillars, and “without the development of the rural areas the cities would be over-populated and facilities would be overstressed”.
He charged the councilors and council chairmen who are the elected government representatives closest to the rural dwellers to make decisions and policies that would enhance rural development.
Equally, Dr. Kabiru Salami of the Sociology Department, University of Ibadan (UI), delivered a paper on ‘Teamwork as a Catalyst for Good Governance’ while, on his part, Dr. Anuodo Oludare of the Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), presented a paper with titled ‘Measuring and Evaluating Performance in Local Administration’.
