Osun Assembly Passes Bills to Strengthen LG Autonomy*
The Osun State House of Assembly has passed two crucial bills into law, which are:
– *Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment 1) Bill, 2024*: This bill seeks to regulate the state’s electoral body to conduct elections in the recognized 30 local government areas . It also empowers the elected local government chairmen to appoint chief administrators into the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and the six area councils within their respective jurisdictions .
– *Osun State Local Government Areas (Creation & Administration) (Amendment 7) Bill, 2024*: This bill provides the elected local government chairmen with the authority to make appointments that will enable them to effectively discharge their duties . The chief administrators appointed to the LCDAs and area councils will work closely with the chairmen and report back to them .
*Objectives of the Bills*
The key objectives of these bills are to align the state’s legislation with the recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the independence of local governments . The bills aim to strengthen the autonomy and decision-making capabilities of local governments in Osun State .
*Next Steps*
The legislation will now be sent to the state’s executive governor for assent . Once signed into law, the bills will grant local government councils more financial and administrative independence from state governments .
