A group has warned Ekiti people, especially the electorate to reject former Governor Segun Oni and the candidate of the Social Democratic Party for the June 18 poll, saying the newly created Local Council Development Areas would be scrapped if elected.
The body bearing the nomenclature: “Save Ekiti Group”, disclosed that the former governor had told his supporters that the new LCDAs would be abrogated hiding under the facade of the parlous state of Ekiti’s economy, which he wrongly posited makes their operations implausible at this time.
A statement by the group’s Coordinator, Hon. Olalekan Ayeni, on Sunday, said the LCDAs were conceptualised by Governor Kayode Fayemi to drive development and alleviate poverty at the grassroots level, saying this was never envisioned in Oni’s SDP’s manifesto or policy thrust.
Ayeni revealed that veracious information trickling from Oni’s camps and statements overtly made by many of his handlers and promoters suggested that of venom against the LCDAs, describing these as eye-openers for Ekiti voters.
Hon. Ayeni bemoaned that the kernel behind the concept of LCDAs, which he said had begun gradually to propel the local economy of the state would be defeated, with thousands of Ekiti citizens and workers having their careers put in abeyance if Oni is re-elected.
Hon. Ayeni said every discernible and sane Ekiti voter should be able to interpret Oni correctly by his continuous maintenance of hard lining posture, signposting that the LCDAs concept was not sustainable.
“Of recent one was a statement made by Chief Segun Oni, that the creation of more Local Government Development Areas by the present administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi is not a sustainable one.”
“Chief Oni said this in his hometown while meeting with some of his supporters. Oni said that with the meager resources available to the state, there is no way his administration could sustain it if elected as the governor of the state.”
“It was saddening for him to have said that Ekiti being one of the states with the least Federal Government allocation and IGR is not enough to provide for the competing needs of our people, hence, to sustain these 19 created LCDAs was a mirage.”
“It was shocking for him to have said that Ekiti people know him that he would not promise what he cannot deliver, he said if he is elected as the governor of Ekiti come June 18th, 2022 that he would revert to the former 16 LGA because the available resources can never sustain them.”
“He went further that one of his developmental agenda is to embark on the agricultural drive where some of the redundant staff of the local government can be moved to where they would be able to achieve optimal productivity.”
Chief Oni was quoted as saying that part of the recommendations by the consultant he employed while in the office which he was unable to implement was that some sizable numbers of human resources are in the Local government sectors that can be deployed to other sectors particularly agricultural, where their services would be more effective.
“He opined that the increase in the amount of imprest being paid to the newly promoted staff and Head of Department coupled with the cost of purchase of office equipment and the maintenance of the huge numbers of political appointees might sink the financial ship of the state if care is not taken.”
“The combined effects of all these suggested that Chief Segun Oni has no vision or mission to either create or sustain the LCDAs that Ekiti people have started enjoying.”
“It would be a misadventure and rather calamitous for anyone to cast his vote for a man that is coming to stifle and annihilate the grassroots economy and engender more sufferings for the poor rural dwellers.”
“As a group that is desirous to save our people from economic doom, we implore Ekiti voters to be wary of this man, so that attempt by the present administration to revitalize the local government system can be achieved through the sustainable process by the incoming governor, Hon. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji”.