Ahead of the proposed creation of additional 33 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) in Ondo state, stakeholders have been warned to steer clear of any crisis or such LCDA would be scrapped.
Dropping the warning at a one-day public hearing on the creation of the LCDAs in Akure, Ondo state capital, Speaker Ondo state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji emphasised that the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu administration would not hesitate to cancel or suspend the creation of Local Council Development Areas in any community or local government area where there is crisis or court injunction.
Stakeholders across the 18 local government areas of the state, civil society organisations, religious leaders among others converged to express their opinions on the proposed LCDAs in the state.
They made their opinions known at the one day public hearing on a bill for the creation of local council development areas organised by the Ondo State house of assembly which took place at the international culture and event centre, The DOME in Akure.
In their various submissions and petitions the stakeholders who appreciated the state government for the gesture said the proposed LCDA’s would bring development and government closer to the people.
Some of the stakeholders frowned that at the moment, that there was no authentic list of the names of the proposed LCDA’S except those pedled on social media, hence fuelling speculations.
Other petitions submitted by various stakeholders including change in the names of some LCDA’S, change in citing of headquarters while some are clamouring for additional LCDAs.
It would be noted that the state is having eighteen local government areas, while with the proposed creation of additional thirty-three LCDAs, making a total of 51 local government areas in the state.
WSRN, stakeholders review 2023 elections, spots violence in Ebonyi (4)
By Amarachukwu EgwuAgha
Abakaliki
Women Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN) alongside other stakeholders, Tuesday, evaluated the activities of the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi state.
This was as they encouraged women to begin to mobilise and engage toward better political bargains ahead of the 2027 general elections in the country.
The recommendations were made during a one-day stakeholders postmortem dialogue on assessing violence against women and women’s participation in the 2023 general elections in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
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The programme was organised by the Women Situation Room Nigeria with support from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Participants, including Flora Egwu, Dr Kelechukwu Okezie, Ugochinyere Ugwu, and Margaret Oku, among others, who shared their experiences from the polls, observed that the 2023 general elections were characterised by unprecedented violence across Ebonyi state.
The stakeholders decried the fact that though a woman was elected deputy governor in Ebonyi state, the number of women who clinched other elective positions in the 2023 general elections in the state grossly declined.
They noted that the level of violence, financial inhibitions, and other discouraging factors generally worked against women’s full participation in the 2023 electioneering process.
Participants recommended a review of the law which empowers only the INEC chairman to prosecute perpetrators of electoral violence and other electoral offenders.
They also recommended deliberate legislation against the high cost of nomination, expression of interest, and other required forms for standing elections in the country to make them affordable to women.
They further identified engagement with the men, the formation of women’s cooperative societies to sponsor female contestants, aggressive sensitisation of women, and high-level advocacy as some of the strategies for enhancing women’s participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the significance of the meeting, the Ebonyi state coordinator, Women Situation Room Nigeria, Mrs. Lorieth Nwafor said it was aimed at reviewing the February 2023 general elections and how to chart the way forward for women.
