“THE GRASSROOTS ENGINE”::AJONI LCDA CHAIRMAN, OGUNGBEMI, HAILS GOVERNOR OYEBANJI’S GRASSROOTS REVOLUTION AS UNPRECEDENTED 

By Olugbolade Ogboro-Cole

The Chairman of Ajoni Local Council Development Area, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, has declared that without a functional local government system, Nigeria’s democracy remains incomplete, insisting that the third tier of governance is the only mechanism that truly domesticate policies for the common man.

Speaking on Thursday in Ado Ekiti at the grand event celebrating the retirement, 60th birthday, and book launch of the first female Permanent Secretary to rise through the ranks in the Ekiti State Service Commission, Mrs. Titilayo Toba-Ojo, the LCDA boss turned the spotlight on the transformative leadership of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji. Prince Ogungbemi eulogized the Governor for what he described as a sincere and unprecedented commitment to strengthening local councils, noting that Oyebanji’s administration has consistently funded and empowered grassroots authorities to deliver tangible democracy dividends.

According to the Ajoni Chairman, the visible developmental infrastructure cutting across every local space in the state—ranging from the construction of schools and markets to the renovation of hospitals and the aggressive recruitment of staff—stands as undeniable proof that the councils are enjoying robust support from the Governor. He emphasized that the massive impact of grants and the ongoing healthcare services across the state reaffirm that under Governor Oyebanji, local governments are no longer an afterthought but a strategic priority.

Prince Ogungbemi stressed that without the funding and support currently being extended to councils by the state government, policies from the top would never reach the towns and communities where they are needed most. He described the local government system as the driving force behind true democracy, enabling programmes to be domesticated at the grassroots level.

The event also featured a compelling review of Mrs. Toba-Ojo’s literary masterpiece, delivered by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, who dissected the book’s powerful narrative on rescuing local government from institutional amnesia. However, the overriding message from Prince Ogungbemi remained clear: Governor Oyebanji is genuinely working to improve local government, and the fruits of that labour are now sprouting across every ward and village in Ekiti State.