Community leaders from Arimogija, Okeluse, Owajalaye, Ute, Asolo and Arajomoeye among others have agitated that the Headquarters of Oredegbe Local Council Development Area (LCDA) should be at Omolege junction and opposed Imoru community as the headquarters which was approved by the House of Assembly in the new LCDAs creation.
Oredegbe Local Council Development Area (LCDA), was created from Ose local government area recently.
The Community leaders said they have earlier written an open letter for Public hearing to the house of assembly opposing Imoru as Secretariat.
They said correction Should have been made by the Executive arm and the House of Assembly before they passed it to the Governor for approval.
Some of the affected communities spoke through, Hon Akin Ogunniyi, the Community Chairman from Okeluse, Hon. Tokunbo Abayomi while supporting the move to relocate the LCDA headquarters away from Imoru, disclosed that it was the unanimous resolution of the stakeholders in the area to have Omolege Junction as Oredegbe LCDA Secretariat.
Buttressing the agitation another Community from Ute, Hon. Odipe Joseph Abayomi said Omolege junction is most appropriate location for the citing of the LCDA Headquarters, noting that anything short of that, they would not hesitate to remain with the existing Ose local government with headquarters in Ifon.
Other Prominent leaders who backed the decision to oppose Imoru as headquarters include; Hon Julius Sesan Olupona; a former House of Reps member, Hon. Eniolorunda Omosule; Chief Igbinosun Akogun from Okeluse; Mr Samuel Obodeh and Mr Owolafe Folorunso representing Arimogija Community; Mr. Ojumu Tunde who is the Ute Youth Leader; Mr Omole Tunde The Olori Ugbamo of Ute; High Chief Olomakugbe S.O, Chief Awodeyi Sasere; Mr Abiodun Arajomoeye, representing Arajomoeye Camp Owajalaye camp; Mr. Adeniyi Kola; Baale Ero camp, Chief Jacob Ero; Chief Olabode Olubosoye; Elder Fessy Olabode and Mr. Idowu Olabode.
They said, “Our request as Oredegbe Local Council Development Area (LCDA), is that we want our headquarter to be at Omolege junction, instead of Imoru. This has been our agreement since the agitation in 1981,2012 and 2019 respectively.
The Community leadership declared that if Omolege junction is not given the Headquarter Secretariat then they should be made to remain in Ifon.
“We say, if they are not giving us Omolege junction as the headquarters, We, Ute, Okeluse, Owajalaye, Arajomoeye, Asolo preferred to remain at Ifon instead of coming to Imoru”.
They noted that they have taken actions by sending a paper of Rejection to the House Of Assembly but no correction was made to it.
“For the record, we had earlier presented a paper containing our agitation to the house of assembly for Public hearing, the house collected the information with the mind that it would be addressed, but the LCDAs Was passed to the governor without corrections.
“We felt there should be a correction to it, and let the executive work on it and send back to the house, but all these was not done, the house endorsed it and send to the governor and it was passed to Law, which is not suppose to be so,” the leaders said.
In the same vein, the Araba of Ute kingdom, High Chief Banji Owoka expressed his dissatisfaction and displeasure regarding the unfair location of the LCDA HQ at the extreme Imoru rather than the agreed centrally accessible and equidistant location of Omolege Junction.
“It’s a betrayal of trust for a community to change what all the affected communities in their various proposals over years agreed, because Imoru has one of its own as a Member of the state Executive Council which probably led to changes in various proposals that have been presented over the years.
He therefore appealed to the Executive Governor of the state Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu to reconsider his decision and abort as requested for fairness and justice.
