Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Thursday said local government councils in his state operate freely without interference.
He said it will be unfair for any governor not to allow elected chairmen at the local government councils to decide what they want in terms of human, capital and infrastructure growth.
Oyetola spoke when he hosted the delegation of the Local Government Project Monitoring Team from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) at the Government House in Osogbo.
He described local government councils as critical arms that should work to deliver development to the people.
“I believe in the functionality of local government administration. That is why we have given all the local governments and the local council development areas (LCDAs) the independence to operate.
“To me, it is unfair for any governor not to allow people at the local government to decide what they want.
“We believe in transparency, accountability and probity. That is why our administration has ensured that the resources of the local governments are not interfered with.
“We have given our councils free-hand to operate and decide their affairs. We don’t toy with the administration of our local government because we believe so much in development.
“So, we thank you for finding it necessary to visit our state and for seeing things yourselves.
“We appreciate all your encomiums and commendations on our little efforts to develop the state. We are glad that our passion for grassroots development has been confirmed.”
Leader of the delegation Mr. Kayode Adegbayo lauded the Oyetola administration for taking leadership to the grassroots.
He rated Osun high in the attention to the development of the grassroots, saying Osun had done remarkably well by all standards.
Adegbayo expressed satisfaction with the level of development seen across the local government areas and LCDAs, saying Osun had performed well.