Osun Assembly Passes Bills To Empower LG Autonomy

The Osun State House of Assembly has passed to law the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment 1) Bill, 2024, along with the Osun State Local Government Areas (Creation & Administration) (Amendment 7) Bill, 2024.

Naija News understands that these legislative measures by the lawmakers, which are aimed at enhancing local government autonomy within the state, were approved during a plenary session held on Tuesday.

In a statement made available to newsmen, Olamide Tiamiyu, the spokesperson for the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, said the primary goals of these bills are to ensure that the state’s laws are in accordance with the recent Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the independence of local governments.

The statement further indicated that the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Bill is designed to oversee the electoral processes within the 30 recognized local government areas of the state.

“It also empowers the elected local government chairmen to appoint chief administrators into the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and the six area councils within their respective jurisdictions.

“Furthermore, the Local Government Creation and Administration Bill provides the elected local government chairmen with the authority to make appointments that will enable them to effectively discharge their duties.

“The chief administrators appointed to the LCDAs and area councils will work closely with the chairmen and report back to them.

“The passage of these bills is seen as a significant step towards strengthening the autonomy and decision-making capabilities of local governments in Osun State,” The statement noted.

It further indicated that the legislation will be submitted to Governor Ademola Adeleke for approval.

This action, as stated, is in accordance with the recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which reaffirmed the constitutional provisions supporting local government autonomy.

Naija News reports tha the ruling from the highest court aimed to provide local government councils with greater financial and administrative independence from state authorities.