OYO COUNCIL POLLS: STATE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO JOINTLY FUND ELECTION

The Oyo state government has disclosed that chairmanship and councillorship elections into the 33 local government councils in the State will hold on December 29 this year.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the State's Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade,

The Commissioner also disclosed that the election would be jointly funded by the state and local governments. 

He stated that the Executive Council, during its sitting, approved the payment of its counterpart funding to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to begin preparations for the polls, adding that yhe polls would be financed at a ratio of 60 per cent by the LGAs and 40 per cent by the state.

The statement said the sum of ₦2,566,800,000 (Two billion, five hundred and sixty-six million, eight hundred thousand naira) would be paid by the LGAs, while the state will foot the balance of ₦1,711,200,000 (One billion, seven hundred and eleven million, two hundred thousand naira).

The Commissioner also revealed that the Council also approved the release of ₦437,446,398.58 (Four hundred and thirty-seven million, four hundred and forty-six thousand, three hundred and ninety-eight naira, fifty-eight kobo) for the accreditation needs of the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University Nursing Programme.

"This funding will assist the university's diversification drive from being solely a science and technology-oriented institution.

It will also enable the university to become self-sustaining.

The University is currently in the final accreditation process and failure to meet the Nursing professional Accreditation deadline will put the huge investment on the University at risk," the statement explained. 

Prince Oyelade maintained that the Seyi Makinde administration has already spent over 3billion naira on the acquisition of equipment for the Programme take-off.

According to the Commissioner, the Council also approved the payment of the counterpart funding for the construction, renovation and equipping of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oyo Annex.

"The Council observed that since about 70 per cent of patients accessing services at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, are from Oyo and its environs, the government is ready to pay its own 50 per cent counterpart funding, amounting to ₦6,744,379,570.28 (Six billion, seven hundred and forty-four million, three hundred and seventy-nine thousand, five hundred and seventy naira, twenty-eight kobo), while Oyo East LGA will pay the other half of a similar amount. The total sum is ₦13,488,759,140.56 (Thirteen billion, four hundred and eighty-eight million, seven hundred and fifty-nine thousand, one hundred and forty naira, fifty-six kobo)," the statement added.

The Commissioner stated that the Council praised Governor Seyi Makinde’s consistent exemplary performance and his efforts towards the development of the state, notwithstanding the short period left until May next year, saying the Council singled him out for his strategic cooperation with the 33 local government councils in the state.