Oyo LG Chairmen, Others Well Equipped For Good Governance
It has been disclosed that local government chairmen, vice chairmen and their Heads of Local Government (HLAs) in Oyo State have been equipped with neccessary tools needed to ensure good governance at the grassroots level.
The disclosure was made at the ongoing two-day retreat for top local government administrators in the state, organised by Foster Consulting, in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser on Strategy, Political Matters and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
Various speakers at the retreat spoke on different tools needed by the council bosses, even as the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Bayo Lawal said the retreat is important in order to set a tone and prepare the local government chairmen for the enormous task ahead.
He said the journey ahead is crucial and challenging due to many years of disconnects between the people and elected chairmen at the grassroots level.
Lawal added that the expectations of people are high and that they would not accept anything short of governance from the chairmen.
“I wish to state that the two-day retreat has been put together by Messrs Fosterfield Consulting, in collaboration with my ministry, to set a tone and prepare you for enormous tasks ahead.
“The journey ahead is crucial and challenging due to many years of disconnects between the people and democratically elected government at the grassroots levels.
“However, no matter the burden, the present administration would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that even development is actualised across the nooks and crannies of the state.
“I wish to stress that the expectations of the good people of Oyo State are high and they would not accept anything short of good governance from you.
“In meeting these yearnings and aspirations of the people, it is incumbent on you to key into the cardinal programmes of the present administration designed to make life better for the citizenry, namely, education, health, economic expansion and security,” he said
The State Director, Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr Moses Atolagbe, who spoke on “Code of Conduct for Public Office Administration at the Local Government Level”, urged the council chairmen not to let personal interest clash with public interest.
He urged the chairmen to do away with the mindset that ‘local government money is meant for spending’ and be extra careful in signing and approving of files.
Atolagbe also warned them against giving of government contracts to personal company and collecting gifts from contractors.
Also speaking, Dr D. A. Oluwole, urged the council chairmen to deploy wisdom to effectively manage conflicts adding that that there could be conflict within and out.
Oluwole, who spoke on “Community Engagement in Conflict Management at the Local Government Level”, said conflict is desirable but must be manage and not to be allowed to degenerate into crisis.
Mr Akinyele Kingsley, who spoke on “Effective Revenue Generation Strategies for Local Governments”, urged the chairmen to generate revenue locally.
He admitted that most things the local government should be used to generate revenue have been taken over by the state government and gave examples of motor parks, hawking spots and so on as areas where revenue can be generated.
Other speakers were Dr Ojo Adeshina who spoke on “Innovation and Creativity in Managing Resources at the Local Government Tier of Governance” and Professor S. A. Lafenwa who spoke in “Key Principles for Successful Local Government Administration in Oyo State”.
