Ondo Assembly Passes Bill for Creation of 33 New LCDAs

Fidelis David in Akure

The Ondo State House of Assembly has passed a bill for creation of 33 New Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State into law, after it passed the third reading.

This comes despite protests from some communities who described it as a political exercise aimed at ceding their ancestral lands to other communities.

The newly created LCDAs are to co-exist with the existing 18 local governments in the state while the passage of the bill into law, brings to 51 the total number of Local Councils in the state.

The Governor of the State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu had transmitted a bill for the creation of LCDAs, to the House for ratification and was thereafter was subjected to a public hearing after being committed to the Committee of the whole House.

But presenting the report of the committee at plenary yesterday, the Deputy Speaker, Abayomi Akinruntan, stressed the need to consider the cultural homogeneity of the people in boundary demarcation of the new LCDAs, adding that the state Surveyor General should be mindful of this.

The Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole, moved a motion for the passage of the bill into law and was seconded by Ogunlana Christopher.

The Speaker, Oladiji Olamide saluted the visionary leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for choosing to tow the line of other southwest states which had earlier created their LCDAS with a view to fast-track development at the grassroots.

While saluting the governor for the creation of the new LCDAs, he expressed optimism that all noticeable observations and recommendations by the House would be effected as appropriate.

Oladiji, appealed to people of Ondo State to keep hope alive and eschew acts that could generate undue rancour which can jeopardise the reigning peace in the state.

“Let me appeal to the good people of Ondo State to please keep their hope alive as current position of the House is not an end in itself but a means to a positive end,” Oladiji added.

In the new local government reform, Akoko has five LCDAs, Akure and Owo have four each while Ondo and Ilaje have three each. Idanre, Ose, Ile-Oluji and Okitipupa have two each while Ifedore, Ese-Odo, Odigbo and Irele have one LCDAs each in the reform.