The Youths under the auspices of Akure Youth Coalition (AYC) on Friday rejected the creation of three Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) out of the one Local government in the Akure South council area.
Some youths sympathetic to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi disrupted the public hearing of the creation of LCDA organised by the State House of Assembly on Thursday.
However, in a statement signed by the President of AYC, Oluwatuyi Adekambi, Secretary Micheal Adeyeye, and Tayo Oluyi, the National Organizing Secretary said the rejection of the LCDA was on the premise that the local governments that constitute the Akure federal constituency were marginalized on the committee of local governments in the state.
Pointedly, the Youths said they rejected the lopsided spread of the new LCDAS in the State, especially the decision to create only three LCDAs from the current Akure South local government area and only one LCDA from the current Akure North local government area.
According to them, the marginalisation was a political exercise aimed at shortchanging the people of Akure.
They said “What logical explanation can the government give for creating more LCDAs from a smaller local government than Akure South local government, the state capital? With the proposal of the government, the current Akure South/Akure North federal constituency will now have six LGA/LCDAS another federal constituency will have eight LGA/LCDAS. How logical is this?
“In every State of the country where LCDAs have been created, including our neighbouring Ekiti, the state capital gets more than any other local government. Why is that of Ondo State different?
Who are those pushing this satanic agenda in the government of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who has been absent from office in recent months? What offence has Akure committed to deserve this kind of insulting treatment from the government?
“We the people of Akure therefore reject in its totality any LCDA creation that will shortchange our people. We are peace-loving people and we therefore urge the government not to carry out any exercise that will threaten the peace we have been enjoying in our communities with a politically motivated exercise.
The LCDAs as created did not take into consideration the memoranda submitted to the government Committee by the Akure Kingdom, which requested for the creation of eight LCDAS from Akure South.
“Creating three LCDAs from Akure South and one from Akure North grossly underrepresents us in terms of human population, voting population, land mass, housing units, utilities, and public facilities.
“Akure North with one of the biggest land masses and Akure South with the biggest population and largest contribution to the economy of the state deserve more LCDAs as both LGs are crucial to the development of the State.
“If the creation of the LCDAs aims to bring development closer to the grassroots, then citing the headquarters of the new LCDA from Akure North in Oba-Ile, which is an urban area, defeats such aim when there are less developed communities like Ilu-Abo, Igbatoro, Igoba, etc.
“The map of the State has been balkanised to cede various parts of Akure to other communities and this will not be accepted.
“The idea of equalling the unequal by creating the same number of LCDAs in the three senatorial districts of the State without taking into consideration the various factors listed in (2) above is against the rule of fairness and equity.
” Akure, the State capital, should therefore be granted a Special Status and given the number of LCDAs as recommended to the government committee by the community.
“It is therefore imperative that we urge the government that the relative peace of Akure, the state capital, should not be threatened in any way, as this exercise, as it currently is, is capable of creating restiveness in the system. The Akure community has been a good host to this government and the people of Ondo State. It therefore should be given its dues.”
