The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has embarked on sensitisation of residents of some local government areas in Oyo State, ahead of the May 22 council elections.
Newsmen report that the programme was tagged: “Voter education and mobilisation campaign towards free, fair, peaceful and credible local government elections.’’
NAN also reports that the exercise, led by the NOA Director in the state, Mrs Folake Ayoola, took the agency to Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, Iseyin and Egbeda local government areas of the state.
Other council areas, which had earlier been visited, included: Ibadan North, Ido, Ibadan South-West, Ibadan South-East, Ibadan North-East and Ibadan North-West council areas.
Ayoola said that the sensitisation was aimed at intimating the electorate in the state on the importance of grassroots elections.
She stated that the exercise was basically to change people’s perception regarding local government elections.
According to her, local government elections pave way for democratically-elected people to handle governance at the local level.
The NOA director noted that installation of democratic governance at the third tier of government would make grassroots people feel the impact of government.
The NOA boss stressed that eligible voters in all the 33 local government areas of the state should take the May 22 election as an opportunity to perform their civic responsibilities for overall development of the state.
Mr Tijani Hammed, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) Officer in Egbeda council area, commended the efforts of NOA in sensitising the people.
Hammed also appealed to the people of the state to refrain from all manner of vices, capable of instigating violence during the exercise.
In his remarks, Mr Sunday Adeoye, OYSIEC Officer in Iseyin local government area, enlightened the gathering on election process and guidelines, even as he applauded the efforts of the agency.
Adeoye solicited for the cooperation of law enforcement agencies in the maintenance of law and order before, during and after the exercise.
