Crisis has continued to trail the proposed creation of 33 Local Councils Development Areas in Ondo State, as sons and daughters of Akure kingdom have rejected what they described as a “lopsided spread” of the new LCDAs in the state.
Some communities in the state had expressed their displeasure and grievances over the proposed creation of 33 LCDAs out of the existing 18 local government areas in the state, saying they would defend any action leading to the ceding of their ancestral lands.
According to a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Akure by the President, General Secretary, and National Organising Secretary of the Akure Youth Coalition, Oluwatuyi Adekambi, Michael Adeyeye and Tayo Oluyi, the decision of the state government 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 was a political exercise aimed at shortchanging the people of Akure.
The statement reads; “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 offense 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 the 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 aim of the creation of the LCDAs is 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.
“The map of the state has been balkanised to cede various parts of Akure to other communities and this will not be accepted. 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. Akure community has been a good host to this government and the people of Ondo State. It therefore should be given its dues.”