Guardian

NEWLY inaugurated head of the interim caretaker committee of Ose local council of Ondo State, Victor Olotu, has condemned the illegal recruitments of workers carried out by his predecessors and others across the state.

Describing it as an embarrassment and height of irresponsibility, Olotu said the act, which led to the sacking of the councils by the state Governor Olusegun Mimiko should not be condoned by any responsible government.

The state government through a committee recently announced the discovery of over 6, 000 workers illegally recruited across the 18 local councils in the state by the chairmen of the various caretaker committees who were relieved of their positions penultimate week.

Further findings by the panel also revealed that most of the personnel recruited were immediate family members of the chairmen especially their wives and children in primary schools, who were drawing salaries as senior civil servants.

Olotu who spoke during a reception organised for him by his kinsmen in Ido-Ani town on Saturday, condemned the actions of his predecessors and lamented that the development had further depleted the lean purse of the councils.

Rather than engaging in such disgraceful act, the new Ose council boss noted that his predecessors should have initiated pragmatic approach to job and wealth creation in line with the caring heart policy of the Governor Olusegun Mimiko administration.

According to him, “starting from within, we will make efforts to engage our youths productively by creating jobs using our wealth of experience in the private sector. We want to create a kind of re-engineering in local government administration.

“Whatever it is, what the last councils administration did in their recruitment exercise is an embarrassment not only to the people of the state but to those canvassing local government autonomy.”

Olotu said his administration would act according to the limits of its powers as local council administrators in order to ensure that youths are productively engaged.

He added: “We have mapped out our plans and strategies which we intend to implement in such a way that we will meet our obligations to our people without further depleting the lean purse of the council in the name of political patronage.”

On his plans to tackle corruption, the new council boss pledged to put an enduring machinery in motion to curb the scourge “so that we can achieve an enduring legacy.”

He said, “there should be institutional framework to tackle indiscipline and all forms of corruption. Every worker will be guided by the principles of patriotism. My immediate plan is to key into the caring heart policy and programmes of the current administration in the state.”

A Labour Party (LP) leader in the council, Tokunbo Modupe, described local council administration as a critical aspect of governance that could bring democracy dividends closer to the people at the grassroots.

He lamented that the democratisation of the local government administration, in the state was stalled by the Peoples Democratic Party chairmen, who instituted legal process to challenge their removal by the courts in 2009.

He added, “the opposition party took the LP to court hence the legal tussle is delaying the democratisation of the local government administration in the state...”

Modupe advised Olotu to key into the caring heart programmes of the state government so as to make an enduring impact in the lives of the people at the grassroots.

He also advised him to implement people-oriented programmes in line with the objective of LP and allow his experience as a successful private sector player, to bear in the day-to-day running of the council.