Fayemi sends bill seeking creation of 19 new LGAs to Ekiti assembly

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, has forwarded a bill seeking the creation of 19 new LGAs to the state house of assembly for legislative consideration.

Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti state attorney-general and commissioner for justice, in a statement, said the governor sent the ‘Creation of Local Government Bill, 2021’ to the house of assembly on Tuesday.

He said the bill “seeks to create nineteen (19) new local government areas in addition to the existing 16 local government areas in the state as specified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)”.

He, however, said the newly proposed LGAs are undeveloped, and will, for the time being, operate as local council development areas (LCDAs) until the national assembly passes the bill into law.

The proposed 19 LGAs are listed as Ado north, Ado west, Ajoni, Araromi, Ekameta, Ekiti south-east, Ero, Gbonyin, Ifedara, Ifeloju, Ifesowopo, Igbara-Odo/Ogotun, Ikere west, Ikole west, Irede, Irewolede, Isokan, and Okemesi/Ido-Ile.

Fapohunda said a committee on the creation of local council development areas created by the governor on November 16, 2020, consulted extensively over a five-month period.

He said the committee had submitted a comprehensive report that took into consideration the population of each proposed LCDA, availability of personnel, physical structure of proposed headquarters and economic viability.

“The state executive council further deliberated extensively on the proposals and resolved that the creation of the new LCDAs is in response to the agitations of the communities affected and that continuing the efficient management of state resources by the Fayemi administration will ensure that the LCDAs are appropriately funded,” he added.

“By the provisions of the bill, the governor shall have the power to appoint persons to administer the affairs of the LCDAs until such a time when a democratically elected authority is put in place.”

The governor, on Tuesday, also forwarded a ‘Judiciary (Funds Management) Bill, 2021’ to the house.

According to Fapohunda, the bill seeks to provide financial autonomy for the stage judiciary.