Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has charged newly elected council chairmen in the state to provide quality and credible leadership at the third tier of government.
Oyetola gave the charge while swearing-in the 69 newly elected council chairmen at Abere, on Monday.
The governor said that the essence of the local government system was to provide adequate, quality and equitable services at the grassroots.
He said that a couple factors delayed the conduct of council polls in the state since the tenure of the last elected officers elapsed.
”The outbreak of COVID-19 and its consequences on governance was a major setback, it affected in the pace of governance.
”The need to hold the governorship election and its attendant cost also made the council election not to come earlier,” he said.
Oyetola said that the state resorted to caretaker committees due to the uncertainties of the transition process and the need to prevent vacuum at the third tier.
He said that the inauguration of elected council leaderships had aligned the state with true democracy.
”This has ended the services of those appointed into local government caretaker committees across the state.
”It is now your duty to reciprocate the gestures of those that elected you by providing good leadership and fulfilling your promises,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the elected chairmen, Mr Abiodun Idowu commended Oyetola for organising a peaceful, fair and transparent election.
He expressed the commitment of the chairmen to prove their mettle by implementing people-oriented programmes.
He said that the council chairmen would key into the leadership template of the governor in the interest of the ordinary peoole.(NAN)