LG creation: 96 Communities in Kwara submit memo

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

About 96 Communities and groups in Kwara State have submitted their memoranda to the Committee set up by the Kwara State government on the creation of Local Government Council Development Authorities.

Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje disclosed this in Ilorin on Monday.

The state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed had in October this year, set up the 14-member committee for the creation of local council development Authority.

The committee was given terms of reference to include, identifying all basic parameters, contingent to the creation of council development, identify suitable communities as headquarters, taking due cognisance of precedence in administrative responsibility in arriving at the choice and consider other relevant factors that will ensure uniformity, equity, fairness and greater sense of belonging.

Baraje in his remarks, said, the memoranda and suggestions were received from all the various communities in the 16 local government areas of the state.

The former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disclosed that the committee’s members had visited some states that had carried out similar exercise in the past.

Baraje said he personally led the team to Lagos where they were briefed by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on how Lagos was able to manage the creation of the additional councils.

He said the committee had followed carefully the constitutional procedure of creating additional local government development councils which he described as cumbersome.

Baraje assured the government and people of the state that everything humanly possible is being done by the committee to ensure an unbiased recommendation.

The Chairman of the committee who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) revealed that the committee members were divided into two sub-committees, namely finance and administration, who duly considered the issues of internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the proposed local council authorities, as well as administrative convenience.

Baraje said the committee would have submitted its report to the state government on December 2, 2014, but because the committee intended to do a thorough job to avoid major lapses that may not enhance the sustainability of the proposed local government development councils.

He expressed his optimism   that the report will be ready in January, 2015 whilethanking his colleagues for their hard -work, wisdom and experience put in place in the discharge of their assignments.