The Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Hon. Akeem Ademola Ige, has said that the clamour for local government autonomy should not be the sole measure of performance at the grassroots level, asserting that local councils across Oyo State are functional and delivering visible results under Governor Seyi Makinde’s leadership.
In an exclusive interview with IbadanCity Announcer, Hon. Ige maintained that the absence of full autonomy has not hindered development at the local government level, noting that many councils have continued to execute impactful projects that improve the lives of residents.
“To me, the issue of autonomy cannot be used to rate performance,” he said. “The way Governor Seyi Makinde handles administration, I have attended several commissioning ceremonies of projects executed by local governments in Oyo State; in Egbeda, Lagelu, and even my own local government. This year alone, I’ve attended about three or four projects commissioned by local governments.”
Hon. Ige explained that local governments in Oyo State currently enjoy sufficient administrative freedom to make and implement independent decisions, describing the system as productive and responsive to grassroots needs.
“Local governments have the power to make decisions on their own in Oyo State,” he added. “The issue of autonomy has been practiced before, and it affected some local governments — including my own, to the extent that they couldn’t pay teachers’ salaries. The sharing formula from Abuja is the real problem.”
According to him, the present revenue allocation system from the federal government is skewed, creating disparities between councils.
“Some local governments in Oke Ogun were using land mass to collect huge allocations, while local governments in Ibadan with larger populations and more staff received meagre allocations,” he explained. “It has happened before, and we don’t want such to happen again.”
Hon. Ige commended Governor Makinde for creating a supportive administrative structure that allows local governments to function effectively and deliver on their mandates.
He reiterated that the real measure of performance should be the visible impact of governance on the people rather than political debates about autonomy.
