The Ijesa community in Osun State on Friday, inaugurated a seven-man independent committee to monitor the activities of incoming local government elected officials in the zone.
The committee is to ensure transparency and accountability in how the six local governments in the zone spend the funds allocated to them by the Federal Government.
The local governments in Ijesaland include Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Atakumosa East, Atakumosa West, Oriade and Obokun.
Speaking during the inauguration held at Oba Aromolaran civic centre, Ilesa, the Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Yinka Fasuyi, noted that the initiative became important due to the autonomy given to the local governments in Nigeria by the Supreme Court.
Fasuyi said the committee, named Ijesaland Independent Development Monitors (IIDM), will ensure that elected chairmen in the local governments deliver result-based administration and dividends for the people in the zone.
According to him, “Ijesaland Independent Development Monitors is a novel and proactive response by the Ijesa community towards ensuring that the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court on Thursday, 11th of July, 2024, materializes in terms of adding value to the development of communities in Ijesaland.
“The committee are to ensure that the local government administration in Ijesaland is run transparently and accountably in a way that delivers result-based administration and dividends for the people in all the six local governments in ljesaland.”
Speaking on the mode of operation of the committee, Fasuyi said, “Members of the committee will have a day-to-day interface with the local government officials. We will create a website where every local government at the end of the month is expected to post its performance, after which the monitors will generate the report and go on the field for assessment, appraisal and confirmation of whatever might have been posted.”
He warned that any elected officials in the zone who don’t cooperate with the committee will be working against the interest of the Ijesa people.
“The committee is a collective representation of Ijesa community, saying that we believe in good governance and it will be difficult for any Chairman in office not to cooperate because that will mean the person is working against the interest of Ijesa people,” he added.
In his acceptance speech, the chairman of the committee, Dr Adigun Adewoye, promised to ensure great standards in the country of their work.
He said, “As you all know, our mandate is to serve as Community Response Monitoring Mechanism with the primary objective to monitor and report the Performances of LGAS in Ijesaland. We are not judges! We are not spies! We only add values.
“The body IDM is purely independent and was established to complement efforts of LGAs in good governance, ensuring accountability and transparency in order to yield good dividends of democracy to Ijesaland.
“Ijesa Independent Development Monitors is a clarion call to serve Ijesa community and we shall ensure great standard in the conduct of the assignment, and to serve as reference point to be replicated by all other LGAs in Nigeria.”
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