The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Local govt

  • Stop tampering with local govts’ funds, NULGE urges governors

    Stop tampering with local govts’ funds, NULGE urges governors

    The National Union of Local Government Employees(NULGE) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction state governors allegedly tampering with the local government funds to checkmate the drift in the third-tier of government in the country.

    Speaking, the  National Vice President of NULGE, Mr OludareFamoofo, who is also the Southwest Chairman said: “Our Union is constrained to point out that the body language of Mr. President has not reflected in the way the governors are handling the Local Government Joint Accounts.It has always been like this but be a  party to making it to endure forever.

    He lauded the governor of Kaduna State, MallamNasir El Rufai  of his decision  not to tamper with the local government funds.

    Famoofo said: “ Nasir El- Rufai is the only governor that is doing the right thing by not tampering with local government funds.  We want to state categorically that part of the root causes of insurgency in Nigeria is the hijack of local government funds by state governors for a long time, thereby robbing the grassroots of real development.”

  • It’s illegal to touch Local Govt funds, says Yari

    It’s illegal to touch Local Govt funds, says Yari

    The Chairman of Nigeria Governor Forum (NGF) and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari on Friday said it was illegal for state governments to withhold Local Government Council funds.

    Stressing that no such unconstitutional breach was in practice in his state, he said that local governments could work together with the state and contribute towards a particular project.

    Yari spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: “This is a constitutional matter, section 7 has given power to the Assembly to manage finances of the state. And if you could remember, so many attempts have been made to the National Assembly to amend the section but it failed.

    “But the essence of joint account to my understanding as governor is not to hold the money. As the money is coming, as the constitution spells out, the House of Assembly has to oversee the administration and finances of the state so therefore, that is the meaning of joint account. If it is done properly, no body should hold any local government money.

    “I doubt if there is any state that is holding any local government funds. But I think what used to happen in my own case is may be if we are having a development project, we vote together on percentage basis, maybe 60-40.

    “This is the only thing that could make a state touch the monies of local government other wise all the monies to go the local government. So, no one as a governor has the right to touch local government money.

    “Although there are speculations that some states are holding local government money, maybe because there are no election in those local government. It’ is administrators, but constitutionally, it is the right of local government which must be exercised.” He added

    According to him, efforts by state ‎governments in the Northwest, particularly Kaduna and Zamfara to curb criminal activities and communal clashes between cattle herders and farmers were yielding good results.

    He gave as example recent arrest by security agents of cattle rustlers and recovery of stolen cattle in the area as the result of improvement in coordinated response to security threats in the region.

    He said: “We have been making serious intervention through the security agencies. Lastly, five front lines states Niger, kastina, Kaduna, Kebbi and Zamfara met with the GOC and other security agencies under the leadership of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai which we have made serious progress.

    “The collaboration is on even with the military, other paramilitary agencies even the Nigerian Customs and Immigration. A lot of recovery is being made, in my state over 3.000 herds were recovered and 5,000 camels. Even those that are in the acts are trying to surrender their arms.

    On whether there have been any arrest, he said: “So far, there are arrest but security agencies are in the position to give details of the arrests.”

  • Oshiomhole’s local govt chair buried

    •Auchi Poly students protest council chief’s ill-health
    •SUG president suspended over protest

    The Chairman of Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Chief Hassan Kadiri, who died on Friday in a hospital in Benin, the state capital, has been buried.

    He was buried at 5pm on  Friday in Auchi, headquarters of the local government, according to Islamic rites.

    Hassan was the second local government chairman who died in office in the last two years.

    The late council chief was a lawyer, politician, businessman and chief in Auchi Kingdom.

    He had reportedly been battling cancer three months after he was sworn in.

    Some youths in the local government staged a peaceful protest, calling for Kadiri’s resignation because of his deteriorating health.

    It was learnt that some of the protesters, believed to be students of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, were arrested.

    There is confusion over the fate of the local government’s Vice Chairman, Idaro Mohammend Alasa.

    The vice chairman was said to have fled the scene of the protest when supporters of the late Kadiri almost lynched him on the suspicion that he sponsored the protest.

    Some All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains in Auchi are said to have begun moves to prevent Idaro from becoming the local government’s chairman.

    A close ally of Idaro said the Vice Chairman was not allowed to perform any role whenever the late Hassan travelled for medical treatment.

    Also, the Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Mr Sani Kasil Abdulqadiri, has been suspended by the institution’s management for allegedly leading a protest at the Estako West Local Government Area.

    The protesters stormed the secretariat, demanding Kadiri’s removal for his deteriorating health.

    Hassan died last Friday, few hours after the protest.

    Security agents chased the protesters away and arrested eight of them.

  • Local govt chief preaches cleanliness to curb Ebola

    Local govt chief preaches cleanliness to curb Ebola

    Residents of Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State have been advised to imbibe cleanliness to prevent the spread of Ebola.

    The Council Chairman, Olumuyiwa Oloro, said at a parley with stakeholders warned that Ebola thrivers in an unclean environment.

    He distributed fliers to the stakeholders, urging them to take the campaign to the grassroots.

    Oloro said the council’s environmental health officials would ensure that residents abide by rules for healthy living.

    “I make bold to say that our council was the first to flag off the campaign against Ebola disease. However, before it became an issue, we had never shirked our bounden duty to keep our people alive to the fact that they must live clean and maintain a filth-free environment. This we shall continue to do,” Oloro said.

    The council chief urged residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse and defaecation in public places.

    He said every member of the council would monitor residents’ to ensure their compliance with sanitation rules, especially during the state’s monthly exercise.

  • Local govt chiefs urged to work with workers

    Local govt chiefs urged to work with workers

    Council chairmen in Lagos State have been urged to work with workers to enhance quality service delivery at the grassroots.

    The Permanent Secretary in the Office of Local Government Establishment, Training and Pensions (LGETP), Mr. Adewale Ashimi gave the charge at the end of the Public Policy Development, Analysis and Implementation training for senior administration managers of all the 20 councils and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) at the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Magodo, Lagos.

    Ashimi said the commission’s efforts to train and equip its workforce for future challenges would be futile, if the chairmen and the management staff do not work together.

    He said the commission decided to train the council workers in policy development to enable them key into the overall vision of the government to empower workers in order to drive efficiency of the public service, whether at the local or state government levels.

    Ashimi said the commission would link up with the chairmen to ensure that the lessons of the trainings are not lost. “If you want to increase revenue, work with the local government workers; if you want to increase tourism potentials in the state, work with the councils; if you want to grow entrepreneurship, work with the grassroots; government at that level is key to development anywhere in the world and anyone working at the councils must be as effective as possible if they must drive the overall growth potential of the state government,” he said.

    He charged participants to be change agents and ensure that introduced what they learnt anywhere they found themselves. “I will urge you not to be frustrated if you met with challenges as you try to implement what you have learnt here, but be persistent and introduce the change,” Ashimi said.

    Earlier, PSSDC Director General Mrs. Olubunmi Fabamwo hailed the participants for putting in their best during the training.

    Mrs. Fabamwo said policy development, analysis and implementation is a newly designed programme and one of the eight contents designed for civil servants at the grassroots.

    She said: “Take away all the good things you have learnt from us here and introduce them at your various offices and local councils to improve service delivery.”

    Mrs. Fabamwo presented awards to two of the participants in line with the centre’s tradition. The most outstanding participant award went to the class governor, Mr. Joseph Olufemi Ojo, an engineer at the Badagry Local Government; Mr. Michael Adebisi Opeseyi, an administrative officer with the Mushin Local Government Area got the punctuality award.

    Ojo and Opeseyi praised the facilitators for giving their best during the training, adding that the training would make councils deliver to people at the grassroots. Over 46 participants were at the training

     

  • Local govt trains 300 women

    The Auyo Local Council in Jigawa State said it had trained more than 300 women on various trades under its economic empowerment programme.

    The council Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad Danjani, announced this in an interview with journalists.

    Danjani said that 60 women were exposed to tailoring, weaving, beads and pomade making as well as soap and jelly processing.

    He said the council had provided resettlement packages to the beneficiaries to enable them to become self-reliant.

    Danjani added that another set of 280 women were trained on animal husbandry and ground nut oil processing.

    He said that groundnut milling machines and goats were distributed to the graduates to enable them to engage in productive activities.

    The chairman said the beneficiaries were drawn from Gamafoi, Safa, Auyakayi and Ayan women groups, adding that the project was executed with support from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

    He said the council had also disbursed N837,000 to widows, orphans and most vulnerable in the area.

    Danjani added that each of the beneficiaries received N10,000 to enable them engage in productive activities.

    “We have also trained women on complimentary diet and provided support to persons living with HIV and AIDS.

    “The gesture is to empower women and assist them to take care of their children,” he said.

    According to him, the council, in collaboration with the state government, has trained youths on various trades to reduce poverty, provide job opportunities and enhance wealth creation among rural dwellers.

    Also commenting, Mrs Hauwa Ahmad, a beneficiary of the programme, praised the gesture, adding that the programme had improved the social and economic well-being of rural women.

     

  • Local govt wins debate contest

    Local govt wins debate contest

    Eleme Local Government Area (LGA) has won this year’s Governor’s Debate Cup Competition of Rivers State.

    The council claimed the senior and junior categories trophies of the annual competition organised by Rivers State Ministry of Education for secondary school pupils.

    Port Harcourt and Emohua took the second and third positions in the senior category while Abua/Odual and Emohua also claim the second and third positions in the junior category.

    Other winners at the competition were Joyce Nwanochi Chinenyenwa of Ambassador NNE Furo Kurubo, Model Secondary School, Eleme and Campbell Oribelemam of Community Secondary School, Amadi-Ama Port Harcourt who were the best speakers in both senior and Junior categories.

    Azagba Jane of Government Girls Secondary School won the Spelling Competition.

    Pupils from the 23 LGAs of the state took part in the three-day competition which took place at the St Andrews Model Primary School, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

    Addressing newsmen at the opening day of the competition, Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Education Rivers State, Mrs Victoria Anyanwu said the competition was a brain child of the Commissioner for Education Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi was aimed at exposing the students to the art of public speaking.

     

  • Local Govt gets electoral commission

    Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Kehinde Bamigbetan has inaugurated an eight man electoral commission that will supervise the conduct of elections into various executive committee positions in the 74 Community Development Associations (CDA) and Community Development Committee (CDC) of the council.

    Addressing the commission’s members shortly after their inauguration in his office, Bamigbetan said the creation of an electoral body to conduct the forthcoming election was a novel idea geared towards ensuring that only committedpeople were elected as the people’s representatives.

    This step, he added became necessary because CDA was established by law, as the fourth tier of government that will serve as a link between the people and government at both local and state levels.

    “In order to ensure that the people’s interests are well presented to government, there is need to ensure that the people who will be saddled with the responsibility of making the presentation are credible and selfless community leaders”, Bamigbetan said.

    Members of the commission include : Miss Hontonnu Mary Senapon, as the Chairperson, Remi Gbadegeshin, Mrs Yemisi Alashe, Mrs. Anike Shobowale, Hassan Rabiu and Chief Steven Onadeko. Others are Rt. Captain Olusesan Akanbi and Mrs Adenike Arajo.

  • Local govt gets digital library

    A digital library with five reading rooms and other modern facilities has been built for public use by the Mushin Local Government Area in Lagos State. The aim, according to the chairman of the council, Hon Olatunde Adepitan, is to change the mindset and psyche of the residents of the council, expose them to material that can enhance their economic wellbeing and draw youths from all forms of crime.

    He said although his administration has embarked on projects to improve the welfare of people, none of such efforts was able to change the psyche of the people.

    “It was for this reason that we decided to embark on the construction of this library in order to help build the minds of youths, through reading and writing. It is an investment we believe can help us to develop the minds of the youth through curious research.

    “The internet facilities here are free, but shall be monitored to guide against abuse. It is strategically located in order to serve a large percentage of the target audience; the youth. It has five large reading rooms, children library, archives, library for the aged, among others,” Adepitan said.

    He, however, used the opportunity to appeal to philanthropic organisations to assist in equipping the library in order to meet the council’s expectations.

    At the event were state legislator, Bolaji Ayinla Yusuf; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ademorin Kuye; Auditor General for Local Govts, M.M. Hassan among others.

    Kuye said the inspection exercise was part of government’s effort to ensure transparency and accountability in the councils , just as he appealed to all officers that will be part of the inspection to be diligent, objective as well as protect the interest of the government.

    “The inspection is not meant to witch-hunt anyone, or suppress information but it is to complement government’s effort at providing dividends of democracy to the masses, he said ”