The Executive Director of OsunOpenLG, Mr. Jare Tiamiyu, has described the initiative as a movement aimed to provide grassroots leadership and community engagement in each local government in the state.
The director stated this during the first OsunOpenLG stakeholders Town hall meeting on Monday organized by Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development, at Benbar Hall in Osogbo.
While speaking with newsmen, Mr. Tiamiyu emphasized that the most important thing is to have civic engagement where young people can hold their leaders to account about funding and other accountabilities.
He, also added that the OsunOpenLG initiative is ready to provide way forward on the recent Supreme Court judgment which allows funds to come directly to the LG accounts.
His words: “We have to hold the LG chairman accountable and that is why Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) are invited, because a good leadership start with credible election.
“What is important is that we want to have what we call a civic engagement, young people holding their leaders to account, ask questions about development, about the funding, about their accountability.
“At the grassroots, we will be able to have effective leadership at the local government level which will translate into development at the State and at National levels.
A member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewumi Adeyemi, in his address encouraged everyone to participate in the forthcoming LG election as everyone has a role to play in the development of our local communities.
He said: “This is a very fantastic program and I must commend the organizers once again.
“The take-home is that everyone has a role to play in the development of our local communities and the fact has been established that for a nation to develop, it has to be a bottom-up approach and at the bottom in this regard is the Local Government.
“Especially because of the Supreme Court judgement that has just allowed more sensation at the local government, more youths should get involved not only at the state or federal level, they should get involved in the administrative and in the governance work at the local government.”
OSIEC Chairman, Hashim Abioye, who was represented by Pastor Bunmi Obiloye, re-assured that OSIEC is ready and prepared to give people a free and fair election.
“My message, and especially the message of the Commission to the people, is that they should have confidence in us here, that we are more than prepared to give the people of Osun State a free, fair and credible election.
“They may have experienced some naughty things in times past, but with the current team that we have on board, we are ready to do justice to what we are expected to do,” he said.
Earlier, while speaking, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Commissioner in Osun, Mr. Hassan Hafiz, reiterated that ICPC will try as much as possible to remove the opacity around the budget process within the LG.
“First, more robust engagement with the citizens will enlighten the citizens to make sure that they follow the money.
“The ICPC will try as much as possible to remove the opacity around the budget process and the administration of the local government,” he said.
He added that the ICPC will monitor the expenditures of the local government more strenuously.