Following last week’s High court judgment, the Oyo state government has transferred the management and administration of parks to the local government administration in the state.
In a short event held on Monday at the office of state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Bayo Lawal, who oversaw the issuance of appointment letters by the local government Chairmen to park managers, Mukaila Lamidi, popularly called Auxiliary, Chairman of Parks Disciplinary Committee, led the park managers to obtain their letters of appointment from their new employees.
Remember that Justice M. A. Adegbola ruled that the management and control of motor parks was a local government function as provided for under Section 7 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Also contained in the judgment was a declaration of the appointment of park managers was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void as it contravenes the provisions of Section 7 (5), paragraph 1 (e) of the 4th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
By the weekend, Governor Seyi Makinde had obeyed the ruling and immediately directed local government councils to take over the administration of motor parks in the state.
Kehinde Akande, Caretaker Chairman, Ibadan South West local government, who spoke for Chairmen of local government areas in the state, at the handover ceremony on Monday, mentioned that LG Chairmen had formally engaged the park managers under their respective local governments.
He said the local government had given the park managers the authorisation and appointment letters to back up their directives.
Akande said the park managers were peaceful hence their engagement, advising them to still stick to being peaceful in their activities.
Mr Mukaila Lamidi acknowledged that the park managers had collected letters as being appointed by local government areas.
He said letters of their being appointed by the state government has been revoked, now they are under the employ of the various local government administration.
Lamidi denied reports of park managers provoking violence around the motor parks stating that his members have always been peaceful.