Nigeria Content Online

A fog of uneasy
calm is building at local government secretariats across Oyo State as
pockets of protests greet the state government’s announcement of names
of those to oversee the affairs of the local governments.

Following the
expiration of the three-year terms of the state’s local government
chairmen on December 16, the state government, on Thursday, forwarded
names of some party members to the state’s House of Assembly to seek
its approval for their appointment as caretaker committee chairmen.

The letter, signed
by Olayiwola Olakojo, secretary to the state government, argued that
the appointments were necessary ‘in order not to allow any vacuum in
the local government administration’ in the state.

But, just before
the names were approved, some aggrieved members of some of the local
governments were already protesting the appointment of their new
caretaker committee chairmen.

A group of people
from Iseyin local government besieged the entrance of the governor’s
office on Thursday, carrying placards to protest the appointment of
Olayinka Taiwo, who was returned after the expiration of his tenure.

Most of the names
approved by the state government on Thursday were those of the council
bosses whose tenure expired on Thursday, but were returned as caretaker
committee heads.

Apart from the
people who mobilized from the constituencies of the newly appointed
caretakers, two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had gone
to court to stop the appointment.

Gbenga Bamidele and
Ismail Adepoju, in a suit number I/1180/2010, on Thursday, prayed the
court to restrain the state government and its legislative arm from
appointing caretaker committees to replace the former chairmen.

Abuse of office

The claimants, in
the interlocutory injunction, said the governor lacked the power to do
so, adding that such action would amount to abuse of office and
outright illegality.

Until yesterday
when the names of the new interim local government bosses were approved
and announced, the state government had denied ever contemplating
setting up any caretaker heads to take over from the outgoing chairmen.

Among the 33 local
government in the state, the government provided names for 30, while it
offered to name heads for Ibadan SouthWest, Ibarapa East and Ibarapa
North local governments later. While seeking approval for a special
adviser for each of the wards in the local government, the state
government announced that the government of the new interim chairmen
will be assisted by six members each.