Segun Atanda/
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has appointed 1,200 political assistants across the state, a move his administration says will strengthen grassroots participation but which also risks swelling the state’s already heavy bureaucracy.
The appointments, announced today by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, will see five aides posted to each of the 236 wards in the state.
They are expected to serve as “change agents” by relaying community needs to government and providing feedback from the grassroots.
While Akinmade framed the initiative as part of Abiodun’s long-standing push for participatory governance, critics warn that the sheer number of new assistants could strain the state’s wage bill and create an overlapping bureaucracy with unclear roles.
Defending the move, Akinmade said it fulfills the governor’s electoral pledge to carry every ward along in development programmes.
He added that the aides would help deliver “democratic dividends” and promote inclusivity.
Abiodun, however, urged the appointees to justify their selection by contributing meaningfully to the growth of their wards and the state at large.
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