*We demand local council
election and probe of the finances of Senator Ajimobi-led government
PRESS STATEMENT
The Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, Oyo State chapter
condemns and describes as undemocratic and fraudulent the continuing decision
of the Abiola Ajimobi-led government of appointing caretakers as the head of
the local council governments in the state.
The SPN sees the recent appointments of a new set
of local council caretakers’ chairmen by Senator Ajimobi-led government for the
fourth times since the inception of the regime in 2011 as a ploy to continue to
maintain its autocratic grip and control over the local council resources and
funds. No wonder that most of the newly appointed caretaker chairmen are either
pliable elements or family members/acolytes of the Governor and his associates
who can easily be manipulated or used as rubberstamp of government plan which is
usually centred around how the funds and revenues of local councils will
continue to be monopolized and diverted for pecuniary interests of the state
government; while the people remain in the dark on how funds allocated to the
local councils are being spent.
In the last six years, over 200 billion naira has accrued
to local councils in the state from the federation account. This is aside many
other counterpart funds from federal government agencies and organisations like
Universal Basic Education Council (UBEC). Yet there is nothing to show for these
huge resources in terms of practical improvement in the living condition of
both the workers and the poor masses at different local council across the
state.
Instead, the entire local councils and the services
they provide in the state are in decrepit conditions. For instance, most local
and intra-township roads are in terrible state. Most of the public health institutions
especially the primary health care services are in terrible conditions, lacking
basic facilities to run effective medical services. This is as a result of
chronic underfunding of health sector. Educational supports such as provision
of educational materials like textbooks, note books, chalk, etc., that used to
be given by local councils in the past has long been stopped. The most
ridiculous is that, local council workers like their counterpart under state
ministries are owed salary arrears ranging from 5 to 10 months.
It is in view of this that SPN believes that behind
the periodic imposition of a new set of caretaker chairmen by Ajimobi-led
government is a motive that is far from bringing about effective grassroots
development in the state. Instead it is an arrangement to cover-up for its
misdeeds and misplacement of funds meant for the development of various local
councils in the state.
This is why SPN continues to demand Local government
elections that can the people at the grassroots the opportunity to elect their
representatives and political office holders like the chairmen and chancellors through
a democratic electoral system that guarantees equal rights for all political
parties. At the same time, the SPN calls for a public probe panel composed by elected
representatives of trade unions, communities, artisan groups and youth
organisations to carry out extensive investigation into finances of local councils in the state under Ajimobi-led
government.
Abiodun
Bamigboye
Secretary, SPN Oyo State
