OSUN ALGON: How Adekunle Benson led administration is transforming Orolu LG in the last one year (interview)

In an exclusive interview with the Osun Reporters Correspondents, the Orolu Council Boss, Hon. Adekunle Benson spoke extensively on activities of the local government in the last one year in office.

*Can we meet you sir ?*

I am Prince Adekunle Benson, Chairman, Orolu local government, Ifon, Osun State.

*How would you describe your last 14 months in office?*

First of all, I thank my principal the former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Abdulrauf Adesoji Aregbesola who God has used wonderfully to take me to the position I am today. As you rightly said, It has been a year plus as this council chairman, I will say lot of water has passed under the bridge, there are lots of challenges but despite that, we are still able to record a lot of successes in our engagements as an administration. The economy of Nigeria even the world today is in shamble and you can’t run a government without fund. From the federal to the state, money has not been coming as expected but with the cooperation of the governor of the state, we have been able to commence and completed so many projects in this locality.

When we came on board, there was one of the major roads in this community, the road had been cut into two dividing this community to two separate parts, there are two wall culvert that has collapsed and people were unable to pass through this road again, causing a lot of accidents (vehicular and machines), we went to the site to replace the culvert and people of that area have been praising God and commending our efforts for ensuring they were not cut off from this community. We have graded so many roads among which some are critical while some are minor and lot of reopening of about 30km roads within this shortest possible time. When you go to the back of our local government, you will see a befitting state high court built by this administration, the ministry of justice have to commend our efforts and it only remain for them to occupy it.

Sinking of boreholes across Orolu LG

In addition, this community started a town hall for over 35 years ago and we have been able to break the jinx now by working on that project, our consultant are on course and by the grace of God, our target is for the next Orolu day which is not far from now to be held in the hall. We purchased drugs for the children and launched it officially, we are paying the impress of our staffs, we have purchased more than 8 utility cars for both the management and political functionaries in this local government. As I speak, we are sinking about 18 motorised boreholes in this community which are under construction and in the next few weeks, all the boreholes would have stared working, this is to mention but few.

Orolu LG High Court

*Can you compare the parliamentary system introduced by Ogbeni Aregbesola to the previous executive system in the local government in Osun?*

Well, the parliamentary system being introduced by Ogbeni Aregbesola… Ogbeni Aregbesola is somebody who has a different beliefs to most of our political leaders. He believes in decentralized governance. He believes in a restructuring the whole country because like we have witnessed in this country, it was when we were using confederation that we have a lot of development in the South-west Nation Stadium was built, Cocoa House was built, University of Ibadan was built all the above mentioned development were recorded during that time as all the regions were into competition with one another, each region wanted to lead the others during Awolowo’s reign. The system was what brought huge development to our region and that is why Aregbesola believes in that system.

This parliamentary system is a system we believe would bring everybody on board, each ward has its own councilor, we were elected as councilors. I was elated as councilor, you know the elected councilors would elect a leader among them, I passed through that process and I become the chairman today. So, it is a process that take care of every segment of the society. No councilor was left out, we took decisions together, we take whatever we want to do to the parliament. The Executive Chairman would be there, Leader of the house will decide on the next line of action, and this has brought a lot of peace and development.

Orolu LG Parliamentarians

Page – 7 of the June/July edition of Osun Reporters Newspaper

*Recently, we heard news about a rancor in Irewole Council parliament, have you witness any related occurrence in Orolu ?*

As a matured politician, this is my fifth time I would be in the local government. I have been a councilor, supervisor, Vice Chairman, an administrator and now the chairman of this local government. The experience is there, I see other councilors as brothers and sisters. We are all from the modern party, the only party in Nigeria today, the APC, we don’t bring it to front burner whenever there is issue, we settle it amicably before coming for parliamentary sitting and that is the reason there is peace here. There has never been such move in this local government.

*How would you describe the team working with you (The Parliamentarians) ?*

They are very lovely people, they are accommodating, outstanding, they know their onions, when issues comes of which they don’t have the experience, they come to me, I put them through and everything would be ironed out amicably. So, I enjoy their company, I really enjoy working with them.

Grading of roads in Orolu LG

*Aside from Allocation being given to the council which is considered not enough to run the administration as expected, what other plans do you have to increase your IGR.?*

The former Osun state governor, Ogbeni Aregbesola is a leader to emulate at all time. When he came on board, the IGR of Osun State monthly was around N300 million but it has increased to over N1 billion before he left office, we have copied that system because any government that is not viable in terms of IGR would not be able to move. We have series of things that would lag behind if we solely rely on allocation but with the help of the Internally Generated Revenue, we take care of them. Thank God in Orolu local government, we have various sources of IGR, we are mostly farmers and little taxes levied against this farmers whenever they bring their farm produce to be sold, we collect market dues every 5 days, these has been helping us while our staffs are up and doing in that regard.

*The people of Orolu are still expecting more from your administration, what can you say to this ?*

That is the reason we are elected and more reason we are very close to them. We don’t leave them, they bring anything that is coming from Federal and State down to the local governments, and when these dividends comes, we spread it across the 10 wards of the local government irrespective of the political parties, people must enjoy it.

Bridge constructed

*Can you name any projects you intend to execute in the next 6 months to 1 year.?*

Our people should expect more developmental projects in Orolu Local Government. We have a lot of less cities that are not major, we are organizing mobile clinic for them and there is a vehicle and staffs readily available for that. This mobile clinic will go round to attend to the farmers in the nooks and crannies of the less cities. We are working to erect solar street lights for our major roads to be illuminated, even if the electric light goes off.

*What measures are you putting in place to maintain and sustain this mobile clinic even beyond your tenure of office.?*

One of our problems in Africa is maintenance culture, we don’t have maintenance culture. What we are putting in place now is grading of roads, where the clinic vehicle would be plying all the time in order to ensure easy passage of the buses, and I can only account for my period as the chairman of this local government as to my records and credits. After leaving office, I am not leaving this community and those who would come after my tenure are still my people. Their spies are there to lead them do this for sustainability.

*Conclusively, your advice to the people of Orolu in general. ?*

There are two major fundamental functions of a responsible government which are Security of lives and properties, those are the two backgrounds on which you can put the dividends of democracy. I also want to advise them to engage themselves in actions that can promote peace. Ordinarily, we have been able to put crisis at very low rate, we can not do away with that even in the western world they have pockets of crisis but thank God our own is within control.