Osun Assembly Passes Bills To Strengthen LG Autonomy

The Osun State House of Assembly has passed the Osun State Local Government Areas (Creation and Administration) (Amendment 7) Bill, 2024, to enhance local government autonomy and grant them more financial and administrative independence from the state government.

The Assembly also passed the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment 1) Bill, 2024, into law in an attempt to align the state’s legislation with the recent Supreme Court judgment upholding the independence of local governments.

A statement by the chief press secretary to the speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Olamide Tiamiyu, stated that the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Bill seeks to regulate the state’s electoral body to conduct elections in the 30 recognised local government areas of the state.

According to him, it also empowers the elected local government chairmen to appoint chief administrators to the local council development areas (LCDAs) and the six area councils within their respective jurisdictions.

His words: “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 discharge their duties effectively.

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

He said the legislation will now be sent to the state’s executive governor for assent, adding that the move aligns with the recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the constitutional provisions for local government autonomy.