Since his assumption of office as the ninth governor of Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has emphasised his commitment to bringing government to the doorsteps of the rural populace and accelerating socio-economic development at the grassroots. The commitment has been backed by the provision of infrastructure and other social amenities capable of reducing rural-urban migration.

The administration has opened up many roads in the rural communities of the state to ease transportation of farm produce from the local areas to the urban centres for sale. The government has also constructed modern day classrooms for pupils in the local communities, and provided boreholes in the rural areas, constructed health centres.

New Councils

In a bid to bring more development to the people at the grassroots, the governor recently embarked on the creation of additional local government development areas out of the present 16 local government areas. He says his aim is to discourage the migration from the rural areas to the urban centres and incentivise people in the local communities to contribute to the economic growth of their areas.

The quest for the creation of more local government councils out of the present 16 councils in the state has been on for a long time. Homogeneity and administrative exigency are some of the reasons behind the agitation new councils. Besides, some local government councils in the state are considered too big. An example here is Ifelodun local government council, which has been described as the largest local government council in the country. The large size of the council and others like it has necessitated the demand for additional council areas.

Local Government Creation Committee

In order to prevent some of the issues that had led to the nullification of the local government councils that were created by the previous administration, Ahmed set up a 15-man local government creation committee to recommend on the appropriate procedure to adopt. The committee is led by a retired permanent secretary and now a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, with Alhaji A. A. Yusuf as secretary.

Other members of the committee are Alhaji Saidu Issa, Alhaji Khaleel Bolaji, Hon. Tunde Umar, Hon. AbdulWahab Issa, Mr. Joshua Ogunlowo, Alhaji Rasaq Umar, Professor Halidu Abubakar, Chief Wole Oke, Hajia Fati Kadiri, Alhaji Muhammad Toyin Sanusi, Dr. Abubakar Ishola, and Alhaji AbdulKadi Oba Salihu.

Speaking while inaugurating the committee, Ahmed said the people's clamour for more local government areas in the state had remained unfulfilled due to the stringent and time-consuming constitutional process required for the creation of new l government councils. He said his administration had received requests from across the three senatorial districts and the 16 local government areas for the creation of Local Government Council Development Areas (LCDAs), stressing that it is in response to the request that he inaugurated a 14-man committee to look at the issue within two months and report to the government.

The governor said the creation of new LCDAs would bring government closer to the people and assist the people to achieve the development aspirations.

"LCDAs will also help our people to realise their socio-economic goals and expand access to basic amenities that will accelerate development in these areas," Ahmed said.

He said it was in considerations of the growing quest for new councils that his administration constituted the 14-member committee to advise the government on the creation of local government council development areas.

Terms of Reference

The terms of reference of the committee are to: identify all basic parameters contingent to the creation of Local Government Council Development Areas using variables peculiar to the Kwara environment while borrowing relevant experiences from other states that have similar structures; consider all factors related to viability (internally generated revenue, population, land area, etc.) in suggesting an area for LCDA; identify suitable communities as headquarters taking due cognisance of precedence in administrative responsibility in arriving at the choice; consider other relevant factors that will ensure uniformity, equity, fairness, and greater sense of belonging; assess the possibility of converting existing Districts into Development Area Councils with little adjustment; review the reports of similar exercises carried out in the past and any other considerations the committee finds pertinent to successful completion of its crucial assignment.

Ahmed said members of the committee were tested, trusted, and seasoned administrators who had made their marks in various spheres.

The governor told members of the committee, "As people who are quite familiar with and share the aspirations of the people at the grassroots, you are to handle the assignment with tenacity of purpose and treat each of the cases presented to you on its merit. You should also be guided by your conscience and the fear of God in your final recommendations to government, believing that this is a call to higher duty."I count very much on your rich experience in this regard and pray Almighty God to crown your efforts with success."

Commenting on the assignment of his committee, Baraje said, "People should not relate number of likely LCDAs to be created with number of members in the committee. We cannot even think for the public. No member of the committee can think for the public. The number of the committee has got nothing to do with what people are thinking. I think it's just a number."

On how the committee planned to carry out its task, Baraje said, "It's a big task any way. But Yoruba say no matter how weighty a matter is, you won't cut it with cutlass. You will only use the mouth to discuss it. We intend to follow certain procedure. This is a matter that has to do with the grassroots. So we intend to go back to the grassroots and make lots of consultations with grassroots people. Also, it's an activity that has to do with tradition and instititution, so we'll do a lot of consultation with traditional institutions.

"It's also our desire to ask people what they want. So it's the coalition and conglomeration of people's wish, their requests, the input of the traditional institutions and grassroot people's input that we are going to use as implement to carry out our duties. Remember that the governor, himself, said that people had been demanding and requesting. And if you look at the composition of these members, I describe them as erudite. They are not scholars but they are erudite administrators, people with very deep experience and contact with the grassroots. We intend to make use of their experiences to carry out this herculean task."

Baraje also spoke on how the new councils would be sustained, considering the continuous shortfall in federal allocation accruable to states of the federation.

He said, "It was done twice in the past, once by the administration of Governor Adamu Attah, and again by Governor Mohammed Lawal. These two attempts, from our little findings so far, were killed half way because of the viability. During the inauguration, I said one major thing we are going to look at is economic viability and sustenability. And ours is to advise government. It's not as if whatever we are going to say will be sacrosanct. We'll only tell government, this and this is what we have seen. And it's going to be a thorough advice, honest suggestion.

"So people should wait till the end of the exercise."