…ICPC is creating a structure platform for monitoring local government finances
The Executive Director of OsunOpenLG, Jare Tiamiyu has described OsunOpenLG initiative as a movement aimed to provide grassroots leadership and community engagement in each local government in the state.
The director stated this during, the first OsunOpenLG stakeholders Town hall meeting, on Monday organized by Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development, at Benbar hall in Osogbo.
While speaking with newsmen, Jare Tiamiyu emphasized that, the most important thing is to have Civic engagement where young people can hold their leaders to account about funding and other accountabilities.
He, also added that,the OsunOpenLG initiative is ready to provide way forward, regarding the recent supreme court judgment, which allows funds to come directly to the LG chairmen.
His words; “We have to hold the LG chairman accountable and that is why Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) are invited, because a good leadership start with credible election”.
“What is important is that we want to have what we call a civic engagement, young people holding their leaders to account,young people has been asking questions about development, about the funding,about their accountability
“At the grassroot, so from there we will be able to have effective leadership at the local government level, then that one will translate into development at the state and at the National level.
“But in recent times, we realized that development has died in the Local government level and then that’s why people call the attention of the state government for duties that are constitutionally under the local government. They call attention of Law makers, when you call the attention of federal Law makers, you’re by extension calling the attention of Federal Government to come and do issues like,bole hole, transformers,like roads and all of that.
” Then we have to hold the Local government Chairman accountable and at this forum we bring the OSSIEC, because good leadership start with credible election,when the election is not good, there’s no way people will have the trust and the confidence in the kind of leadership any manipulative election is going to produce.
“So we’re asking the leadership of OSSIEC, what are they trying to do and we are also bringing in the ICPC on how are we going to be tracking the money. And we have also trained people apart from the 66 advocate that we have trained, the participants here have also been trained about how they, themselves can check the local government funds, evey month and knows what comes to their local government.” He emphasized.
Speaking at the town hall meeting, Comrade Waheed Lawal revealed that there is need for a new constitution in the country.
“The federal government and the national assembly should work on a new constitution for the country, what we are using is the one for the military era
“There must be transparency and accountability at the local government levels, we will need to ask them questions, but in Osun State the Council elections will hold by February, 2025… Then we will engage them to activate grassroots development.”
A member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewumi Adeyemi, in his take-home address encourage everyone to participate in the forthcoming LG election and because everyone has a role to play in the development of our local communities.
“This is a very fantastic program and i must commend the organizers once again.
“The take-home is that everyone has a role to play in the development of our local communities and the fact that has been established, for a Nation to develop, it has to be a bottom-up approach and at the bottom in this regard is the Local Government.
“Especially because of the supreme Court judgement that has just allowed more sensation at the local government ,So more youth should get involved not only at the state or federal level, They should get involved in the administrative work in the governance work at the local government. He advised.
In an interview with Newsmen, OSSIEC Chairman,Hashim Abioye who was represented by Pastor Bunmi Obiloye, re-assured that OSSIEC is ready and prepared to give people a free and fair election.
“My message, and especially the message of the Commission to the people, is that they should have confidence in us here, that we are more than prepared to give the people of Osun State at the FDA level a free, fair and credible election.
“They may have experienced some naughty things in times past, but with the current team that we have on board, we are ready to do justice to what we are expected to do. He added.
Earlier, while speaking, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Commissioner in Osun, Comm. Hassan Hafiz Mohammed, said that ICPC is creating a structure platform for monitoring of local government finances and to try as much as possible to remove the opacity around the budget process within the LG and the admission of the LG.
He said, “First, more robust engagement with the citizens,will enlighten the citizens to make sure that they follow the money.
“The ICPC will try as much as possible to remove the opacity around the budget process within the local government and the administration of the local government.
“The ICPC will monitor the expenditures of the local government more strenuously. He said.
Dignitaries who graced the stakeholders town hall meeting were; Olowu of Kuta representative, Osun IPAC Chairman, Pastor Akande; Osun CAN representative, Ben Agar, CSOs, Osun PWDs leadership, Osun ACOMORAN leadership, and many others.
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