Oyo issues appointment letters to 54 council caretaker chairmen

The Oyo State government on Wednesday presented appointment letters to caretaker chairmen of 54 local government councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.

The letters were presented by Mr Bimbo Kolade, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, at the House of Chiefs, Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the letters were issued to 27 caretaker chairmen of local governments and 27 caretaker chairmen of the newly created LCDAs.

NAN also reports that four local governments in Oyo Zone and Oriire Local Government Area as well as the six newly created LCDAs in both areas were exempted due to an ongoing litigation.

Two of the nominees, Mudasiru Agbaje for Irepo Local Government Council and Adeleke Taiwo for Asabari LCDA in Saki did not scale through the screening process at the Assembly.

Similarly, Mr Akeem Aransi, the Caretaker Chairman of Lagelu West LCDA, was removed hours before the swearing-in ceremony and replaced with Mr Abiodun Oladeji. Oladeji, it was learnt, would undergo the screening process.

Kolade said that the appointment letters issued to the chairmen would serve as an instrument of office.

He stated that the Assembly cleared 55 out of the 57 nominees sent to it while the governor inaugurated 54 caretaker chairmen.

Kolade said that the governor has sent new nominees for Irepo Local Government, Asabari LCDA and Lagelu West LCDA to the Assembly for screening.

“The House of Assembly did not compel us to issue letters to 54 caretaker chairmen. The governor sent 57 names to the Assembly and they approved 55.

“The governor changed the screened nominee for Lagelu West LCDA. The names of the new nominee and the earlier rejected two have been re-forwarded to the Assembly for screening.

“The governor conducted swearing -in for 54 caretaker chairmen and that is the government’s position,” he said.
The commissioner urged the chairmen to see the appointment as a call to service, particularly at a period of economic recession.

He said that the local governments and LCDAs were perceived as being the same, adding that none was superior to the other.

“All the chairmen should collect the new map of Oyo State from the Surveyor-General’s office and the gazette establishing the new LCDAs from the Ministry of Justice,’’ he said.

Dr Morohunkola Thomas, Executive Assistant to the governor on Political Matters, and Dr Isiaka Kolawole, Special Adviser on Economic Matters , both urged the chairmen to live up to expectation.

They both enjoined them to be good ambassadors of the governor in their respective councils.

Mr Niyi Adeagbo, who spoke on behalf of the caretaker chairmen, expressed gratitude to the governor for the privilege and opportunity given to them.

Adeagbo, who is the caretaker Chairman of Itesiwaju Local Government Council, promised that they would all perform their duties to the best of their ability.