Osun State governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke has restated his commitment to continue with local government reforms.
Senator Adeleke also promised that his administration would restore accountability and transparency in the operations of the local governments to block excesses and corruption
This, the governor-elect said, will significantly guarantee the well-being and improved living conditions of the people of the State at the grassroot level.
Senator Adeleke, who made this known on Monday in Osogbo while receiving reports from a subcommittee of the PDP transition committee, described local governments as the building blocks of good governance.
In a statement signed by Olawale Rasheed, his spokesperson, Adeleke also affirmed that his administration when sworn into office on November 27, 2022, will fulfil his electoral promises by ensuring true autonomy for the local government system.
In his words, “I want to commend the various sub-committees for the fantastic job. Let me restate here that local government reforms are so dear to my heart because of so many reasons. First, a strong local government system is the best way to ensure grassroots development. Two, poverty alleviation is largely a local matter. So local governments with required resources will speed up prosperity. More importantly, competition will become a new way among the council chairman.
”I remember those days when council chairmen competed for commissioning of projects. Locally elected leaders built roads, developed agriculture, markets and transport terminals. I look forward to the return of that era when council chairmen will fill the Governor’s schedule with project commissioning.
“We will not support autonomy that encourages defrauding the people. We will ensure that resources and responsibilities devolved to the local governments in line with the Constitution are handled in compliance with due process and anti-corruption laws,” the governor-elect stated.
Committees, which submitted reports at the meeting session, included government structure, legislative relations, public service, local governments and workers’ sector.