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By Correspondent in Ado-Ekiti.
No fewer than seven traditional rulers from communities in Ikole-West Local Council Development Area of Ekiti State on Tuesday, matched their subjects on a peaceful protest against the location of the headquarters in Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti.
The protesters, who appealed to the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to relocate the headquarters from Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti to Usin-Ekiti, however pointed accusing fingers at some powerful forces behind the location of the headquarters to Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti in the first place.
Speaking at the temporary secretariat of the LCDA, at Asin-Ekiti, the spokesperson of the communities, Dr Lanre Ayejuyo, described the development as injustice and unfair, adding that: “locating the headquarters at Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti, against the interest of seven other communities is injustice.
“But we are just appealing to Governor Kayode Fayemi and the Chairman, LCDA creation committee to consider our initial proposal which was defended at the House of Assembly that, the headquarters of the council be sited at Usin-Ekiti.”
Contributing, the Chairman, Ikole West LCDA Implementation Committee, Mr Bayo Ayeni, recalled that,: “We have been on this struggle since 2014 during Governor Kayode Fayemi’s first tenure.
“We presented our memo, which contained our demands before the government when the LCDA idea was being proposed.
“We even provided infrastructure, including a befitting edifice for the take-off of the council secretariat before the last administration truncated the process.”
The traditional rulers, who took time to address the protesters, thanked the people for their peaceful conduct and urged them not to take the law into their hands by resorting to violence.
They expressed support for the peaceful protest, describing it as rightful agitation which bordered on the future, inalienable right and self-determination of the stakeholders.
They,however,assured the protesters that the governor had no hand in the siting of the council secretariat at Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti and assured the location was an error, adding that it would not “see the light of the day.”
Reacting to the issue, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Olawale Fapohunda, said the secretariat of the LCDA Committee was looking into the agitations’ demand and would do Justice to all communities with complaints.
He advised the people of the seven communities to be patient, saying that “a decision will be made to rectify all anomalies in the creation of the LCDAs.
“Please wait for Government’s decision, but we appreciate your peaceful way of showing your displeasure,”he said.
The online publication recalls that Ekiti LCDA bill was passed by the Ekiti House of Assembly on Aug. 4 and signed into law on Aug. 6 by Gov. Kayode Fayemi.
Other highlights of the protest were speeches by various groups, including, women, youths, and some selected residents who argued that making Ijesa-Isu-Ekiti the headquarters would not bring the required and desired development to their towns.
The traditional rulers in attendance were: Olusin of Usin-Ekiti, Oba Adedeji Oluyemi, Asaba of Isaba-Ekiti, Oba Olanrewaju Adeyanju, Olotunja of Ootunja-Ekiti, Oba Adedeji Fagbamila, Alasin of Asin-Ekiti, Oba Abraham Babalola, Obaloke of Igbona-Ekiti, Oba Oladele Adeyemi and Alamo of Ilamo-Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Awoseyila and Onikoyi of Ikoyi-Ekiti, all in Ikole West LCDA.
