Protest in Osun over proposed council creation

Community leaders and youths of Ofatedo town in Osun State on Wednesday staged a protest to the State House of Assembly.

They dissociated the community from the proposed Egbedore South Local Council Development Authority to be created by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The protesters, including  Chief Lasisi Iwaloye, who represented the Olofa of Ofatedo, Oba Abdulahi Okunloye, stated that the attitude of the people of Ido Osun, one of the four major communities to make up the proposed LCDA, negated the principle of togetherness behind the proposed council.

The protesters said based on this, the people of Ofatedo had decided not to be part of the LCDA any longer.

The National President of Ofatedo Descendant Union, Mr. Rasaq Afolabi, alleged that the people of Ido Osun were not sincere with the way they were handling issues surrounding wards demarcation and the creation of the proposed local council development authority.

Afolabi said Ido Osun, which was the proposed headquarter of the new council,  had refused to involve other communities in matters relating to the LCDA.

The community submitted a letter of protest addressed to the governor and copied to the Speaker and the Independent National Electoral Commissioner.

The letter reads in part, “Therefore, as  members of the communities that make up the proposed Egbedore South Local Council Development Authority, we have the right to dissociate ourselves from the ongoing process of the creation of the said LCDA and we therefore wish to notify you of our resolution not to be part of the proposed LCDA.

“Mr. Governor sir, we are making our position known to you because we don’t want the kind of communal crisis that engulfed Oba Ile and Oba Oke in the recent past in our place if such local council development authority is created.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Wasiu Adebayo, who addressed the protesters promised to convey their message to the Speaker.

He assured them that the committee would invite the community very soon to resolve the matter.