The success or failure and effectiveness or ineffectiveness of local governments must, in final analysis, depend on the financial resources available to the individual local authorities and the way those resources are sourced and utilized.
The parliamentarians of the newly created Ilesa North East LCDA are very much concerned with the development of this new council so they are drawing up a series of guidelines for the development in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the coming years.
In the light of the above, in its plenary of Thursday the 13th of December, 2018 which happens to be the last for this year, the house attempted to look at the various sources of generating revenue particularly sourcing from the trailers and trucks usually parked along Ilesa/Akure junction around and after the Ilesa International Brewery, the vehicles formed long queues that extended from Imo Total petrol station down to the brewery and at the Ilesa/Akure express road junction. So the Divisional Police Officer of 'B' Division of the Nigeria Police, Ijamo, Ilesa, CSP Ige Adekunle was invited.
Hon. Funmilola Ayoola, the Vice Chairman of the LCDA set the ball rolling when she rose to ask in her words "by next year we want our rate officers to go out and we need security for them.
There are some difficulties when the rate officers are doing their job. We are trying to generate IGR from trucks that pack along Ilesa/Akure junction of the express road after International Brewery which is a federal road. Is it possible for the LCDA rate officers to extend their work to this area?"
CSP Ige Adekunle in his response appreciated the House for inviting him. He pinpointed that rate officers going out for Revenue Generation are performing their statutory duty and there are some stubborn members of the public that would want to put up certain degree of resistance and there is no doubt that the rate officers will need the service of the law enforcement agents. "Our purpose of being at the station is to serve the people. I want to assure the whole house that our commitment is total. Anytime you need our services and you reach out to us we will oblige. And if there are some particular areas you want to go that entertain some level of problems. I can detail men to accompany them as observers.He said.
He lamented as trailers, truck drivers turn streets, major roads to parking lot. He said "the road is a federal road but it passes through this Local Government area. The local government has a responsibility to operate within its area of jurisdiction and the essence of generation of revenue is for the improvement of the Local Government area, so, it is not out of place for you to say you want to embark on revenue drive to that axis but what you cannot do is to block the major road. And for those drivers packing their trucks in that area should know that the road is a joint ownership, the federal government owns the road but it passes through the Local Government here, so, it is the duty of the Local Government to regulate activities within its area of jurisdiction. Some want to build house and tip their sand on the major road, some abandon their vehicles on the road, you can embark on towing all those vehicles. There are different things you can do, by the time they know that certain things are being put in place, they will know that they have to wake up. We are in support of your decision to generate revenue from the express road trucks and trailers pack. We are aware that yours is a new local government and it is not easy to take off. It is when people see that you are doing the right thing that they will wake up to their responsibility. What I will advise is that the first time you want to go, you will go their and sensitize them and by the time you want to do the actual drive, policemen will accompany you."
The DPO also informed the parliamentarians of some of the problems his division is facing, such as unavailability operational vehicle and space. He lamented that at Ijamo police station vehicles are parked on the major road side. He concluded by saying that Ilesa city deserves a befitting police station.
Also all the departmental heads that are concerned with the generation of revenue in the LCDA were alsi invited and they all pledged to put in there best towards having a better and improved IGR come next year.
Present at the plenary are Hon. Ayo Ogunyemi, APC Chairman in the LCDA, HOD WEAS, HOD Town planning and HOD Works,
Only three of the parliamentarians were present at the sitting. These are; Hon. Femi Olowe, the Leader of the House, Hon. Funmilola Ayoola, the Vice Chairman and Hon. Elizabeth Adetunji.
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