The candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ilaje constituency 1, Prince Oluwakayode Ehinlanwo has rebuked the activities of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) for not serving the interest it was created.
Ehinlanwo who made this statement at Igbokoda said the recent commissioning of some offices by OSOPADEC at its Oba-ile Hqtrs raised further concern over the insensitivity of the Commission to the plights of the people the mandate areas.
He said: “At a time like this when OSOPADEC as an intervention agency should be thinking of improving and ameliorating the suffering of the people in the mandate areas, the Commission is busy chasing shadows and pursuing frivolities.”
“Ordinarily, the OSOPADEC was modelled after the NDDC. They are both intervention agencies. The question then arises; why was the NDDC not located in the FCT? Why was it sited in the mandate area? Did siting the operation headquarters of NDDC have any impact on the people and Communities in the NDDC mandate areas?”
He said: “The answer is obviously yes. Like the NDDC, siting the headquarters of the Commission in the mandate areas will change not only the geographical outlook of the areas, it will also facilitate socio-economic cohesion which will translate into real and enduring development of the areas.”
Ehinlanwo who won the primary through consensus said that over the years, there has been continued agitation for a better use of the 13% Deriavation fund in the mandate areas over years. That there has always been this popular surge in the mandate areas for a review of Legislation that set up OSOPADEC.
He said that the people of the mandate areas demand for results oriented OSOPADEC with its headquarters in the mandate areas in order to facilitate development in the areas.
That they also want a drastic review of the employment quota of the Commission to reflect an appreciable 75% allocation for the mandate areas while the rest make do with the remaining 25%.
He said: “It must be emphasized here that the mandate is only entitled to 40% while the State Government sits on the unquestionable 60%. It’s on record that the mandate area have no access to their statutory share of this Derivation largess either in terms of infrastructure or viable and enduring empowerment program for our teeming youths and women across board.”
“I want to state here that the legislation that gave birth to OSOPADEC is obsolete and can no longer sustain for a modern day intervention body, hence, the need to drastically purge and review the existing OSOPADEC Law for a better oil producing mandate areas.”
Ehinlanwo assured the people of mandate areas of robust and responsible representation if elected as a member of Ondo House of Assembly to represent Ilaje state constituency 1.