By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

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Following the passage into law by Ekiti State House of Assembly on August 4, 2021 and the subsequent signing into law by Governor Kayode Fayemi on the creation of Local Council Development Authority (LCDAs), the State has witnessed series of petitions, and protests by aggrieved communities that felt dissatisfied with the citing of the headquarters of the LCDAs.
Protests begun barely twenty four hours after the passage of the law as the people of Ilasa-Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government wrote a petition rejecting the outcome of the exercise.
The community said that undue political manipulation and chicanery were allowed to prevail over objectivity, common sense and rationality in the creation of the LCDA.
The petition written under the auspices of Ilasa Development Union (IDU), dated August 5, 2021, to the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, noted that Ilasa–Ekiti ought to have been named as the headquarters of the newly created Ekiti South East LCDA, “rather than an amorphous and non–existence name as the headquarters of the LCDA.
The IDU maintained that the committee set up to look into the viability of the LCDAs clearly recommended the headquarters of Ekiti South East LCDA to be at Ilasa Ekiti; “we gathered that the recommendation was truncated by the powers that be as a way of favouring the interests of “certain powerful and influential politicians” from some towns.”
The community also expressed misgiving that the Ekiti South East Local Council Development Area is unnecessarily congested, while the old Ekiti East Local Government is now left with Omuo Ekiti town alone (since Isinbode Ekiti has joined Ayekire LCDA where it rightfully belong), Ekiti South East LCDA is having nine (09) independent communities as members.
In a similar development, the people of Ijero-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area of the State also on in August 8, 2021 defied the early morning torrential downpour to protest against the state government for rebuffing the creation of Ijero Municipal Local Council Development Authority (MLCDA) for the town.
This came barely 48 hours after the people of Ilasa Ekiti staged a protest against the relocation of the Ekiti East LCDA’s headquarters from the town to Isaya Ekiti.
As early as 7am, Ijero Ekiti became tensed as protesters with placards of various inscriptions marched round the town, to showcase their resentment about the inability of the government to create Ijero Municipal LCDA.
The visibly angry protesters, said this showed that the town was being marginalised despite being one of the oldest local governments in the state.
One of the leaders and proponent of Ijero Municipal Agenda, Mr. Ayo Awe, who addressed the protesters, contended that what sparked up the agitation was that the state government created Irewolede and Irede LCDAs with the headquarters at Iloro and Ipoti-Ekiti respectively and still went ahead to establish an administrative centre at Ikoro-Ekiti under Ijero Local Government.
Awe said it was repugnant and unresponsive for the state government to have turned down agitation for the establishment of Ijero Municipal LCDA with four wards, when lesser and smaller towns were given such privileges.
Another convener of the group, Mr. Femi Alufa, said the creation of two LCDAs and an administrative centre from the existing Ijero Ekiti Local Government without a LCDA for the town, has weakened the town’s influence in the council.
Alufa added: “What we want in Ijero-Ekiti is an autonomous LCDA with the name Ijero Municipal LCDA. Turning down the offer further attested to the agelong marginalisation being suffered by our people.”
Other stakeholders under the umbrellas of Ijero Development Association (IDA), Concerned Youths of Ijero-Ekiti, Federation of Ijero Student’s Union (FISU), Ijero Road Transport Union and the Market Men and Women Association, also participated in the protest.
In another protest, the people of Ayede Ekiti in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State also expressed anger with Governor Kayode Fayemi over the location of Ifesowapo LCDA in his Isan Ekiti country home instead of a town with better historical and economic backgrounds.
Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti, the President, Ayede Ekiti Progressives Union (APU) Dr. Ayo Ajayi, said the town felt belittled and degraded with the citing of the LCDA headquarters in Fayemi’s town without considering Ayede Ekiti.
Ajayi who appealed to Fayemi to reconsider his position and create a new LCDA for Ayede Ekiti, clarified that the town was not in any way asking for the removal of the one already sited at Isan Ekiti, but insisted that the governor should be fair to the aggrieved town as a friendly neighbour.
Reeling out reasons why Ayede Ekiti was more qualified as LCDA headquarters, Ajayi said the town was headquarters of Ayede district as far back as 1936, which had other component towns like Ijelu, Iyemero, Omo Odo, Ipao Ekiti, Itapaji, Oke Ako, Irele under it.
When asked whether the town would resort to litigation if the demand was not met, Ajayi said: “We won’t take government to court. We are not going to protest, carry placards or fight, but we will continue to persuade the governor to accede to our request. We are friends and we will remain that forever.
Another prominent indegene of the town Chief Kayode Adetifa, the former Chairman of Oye Local Government under Niyi Adebayo -led government, revealed that in 1963 census, Isan Ekiti had a population of 4,491, while Ayede had 13,363, which he said gave it a better prospect to be consider for development.
“When Governors Adebayo and Ayode Fayose were elected in 1999 and 2003, they didn’t relocate the headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun to their towns. But this time, Governor Fayemi used his position to underrate Ayede Ekiti. We are not going to serve under Isan Ekiti. We will prefer to stand alone. Governor Fayemi has not been fair to us, enough is enough.
“Putting Ayede under Isan is an abomination. Ayede has one and half wards since 1989 when Oye Local Government was created, when Isan ,Ilafon and Ilemeso are still sharing a ward. But today in Ayede Ekiti, we have two wards”.
Reacting, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Akin Omole, dispelled the feelings that the governor was nepotistic with the choice of Isan as headquarters, said the processes leading to the creation of the LCDAs were fair, transparent and justiceable.
“The process was fair and credible. Governor Fayemi did it to improve development at the grassroots. So, I appeal to Ayede Ekiti people to write formally to the government and make their grievances known.
“This is a democracy, constructive engagement with government can resolve so many issues and I advise that they engage the government on this issue”, he said.