The Oyo Government has organised a training on legislative roles and duties in local government administration for about 351 Councillors and 33 Clerks of the 33 local councils in the State.
The 3-day training, which began on Wednesday, in Ibadan, the State capital, was organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Legislative Matters, in conjunction with the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
The Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Legislative Matters, Mr Adejumobi Ademola, disclosed that the training was aimed ”at intimating and grooming the newly-elected councillors on their legislative duties and oversight functions.”
Ademola, who said that the training would enable the councillors understand the rudiments of their assignments, noted that they would be given proper orientation on legislative activities at the grassroots level.
He commended Governor Makinde for approving the training, saying ”it would enhance the job of the councillors and clerks of the legislative councils.”
The Governor’s aide urged the councillors to avoid clashing with the executive in their respective council areas and replicate the existing harmonious working relationship between the executive and the legislature at the state level.
While calling for strict observance of the principle of separation of powers, Ademola called on the chairmen to allow the legislative arm perform their functions without interference, to avoid confusion.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Segun Ajekiigbe, said that the training aimed at setting the pace for greater things to happen in all the local government councils in the state.
He said it was the first of its kind in recent times.
Ajekiigbe explained that the government decided to put the training together to address the ‘serious lacuna’ observed in the series of research conducted on local government administration in Nigeria, since the advent of the current dispensation in 1999.
He noted: “The republic largely identified the wide gaps between council Chairmen and Councillors as major encumbrances to grassroots development. The gaps were attributed to superiority complex between the executive chairmen and councilors, occasioned by educational qualifications, experience and social status.”
Ajekiigbe stated that the present administration in the state would cement the relationship between the Councillors and Council Chairmen, with the intention of raising the bar of local government administration in the state.
He stressed that the role of Councilors, as the true representatives of the masses, in facilitating anticipated developments to them could not be swept under the carpet.
Ajekiigbe said: “As Councillors, you must take cognisance of your role in carrying out executive oversight and ensuring budget management, effective use of budget resources and transparency in budgeting. It is incontestable that meaningful development does not happen overnight.”
While tasking the Councillors on a new paradigm shift that would engender a workable strategic development plan, Ajekiigbe said nations that have witnessed and are still experiencing transformation rely on effective strategic planning in governing their people.
At the training, Dr Stephen Lafenwa of the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, delivered a lecture on: “Local Government Structure and Significance of Elected Councillors in Grassroots Development.”
In the same vein, Dr Musah Abdulwasi, Chairman, State House of Assembly Service Commission, delivered a lecture on: “Understanding the Act of Lawmaking at the Local Government Level”, in which he emphasised that the task of lawmaking was very crucial to good, enhancing governance at the grassroots.
The duo emphasised the need for the council officials to understand the place of local government in the provision of good governance for the masses.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
