El-Rufai and 77 districts: Matters arising

By Muhammadu Shehu Tijjani

After a careful consideration and inputs by various stakeholders, the Kaduna State Government has upheld the recommendations of its Committee on the Restructuring of Districts and Village unit Heads across its 23 local government councils.

Before 2001, the entire state had only 77 districts and 1,429 villages, before it was increased with 313 additional districts for political reasons by the former administration. This has also led to the proliferation of traditional titles and was affecting the economy of the state.
In the past, Kaduna State had 32 emirs and chiefs, 10 of them in the first class category and 13 as third class and also 390 districts which the government paid their salaries and allowances including the maintenance of their respective palace.
When the present administration came on board, it discovered a mismatch in the revenues of the local governments and their expenses which made some of them not to meet their constitutional responsibilities without support from the state government.

They were carrying more than they could bear with bloated wage bills that many of the councils were unable to pay their district and village heads. It was the quick intervention of Governor Nasir El-Rufai that saved the situation in some local governments where many of these district and village heads were paid two years salaries at ago.
While the local government administrations were groaning on how to carry the burden they faced in their respective local governments, the state government set up a committee to scrutinize their plight when it was discovered that the cost of maintaining the district heads was beyond them.
With the creation of 313 additional districts in 2001, the state now has 390 districts and 5,882 village units all drawing their salaries and other remuneration from local government purse.

The committee’s report revealed that the new creation has increased wage bills in local governments by 2,730 persons and councils such as Lere local government spent N84.5 million on its district heads yearly, Chikun N77.2 million and Zango-Kataf spent N165 million for the same period which is more than its monthly allocation.
At the same time, the committee believes that the proliferation in the number of district heads was done for political expediency without objective criteria that they were either sustainable or crucial to delivering public goods or promoting harmony at the grassroots.

Therefore, those defending the increase of the district heads and villages based on population growth, may not know that Kano State which has 44 local government areas has only 44 districts and Katsina 33 district heads. The insinuation that population can be a considering factor for the creation of many districts and village heads was not logical.
Addressing a press conference on the issue recently the Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Alhaji Jafaru Sani, said the government action followed the resolutions of the Executive Council on April 24 which was also discussed with emirs and chiefs at an emergency meeting on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 where the chiefs requested for two weeks to discuss the matter and avail the state government of their recommendations which they did and they later accepted the government’s decision.

He said government decided to resolve the situation in the longer interest of the state and to free the local governments from bloated payrolls.
The commissioner explained that each district head would now be administered through seven personnel while the district scribe would be the secretary to the district head, who must be a career civil servant and an appointee of the Local Government Service Commission.
“Our royal fathers shall also nominate three persons for appointment as district heads for the 77 districts from within the current 390 villages at their discretion while the ministry shall review the résumés submitted.
“While this government would make tough, but necessary decisions it will strive to cut wastes, promote efficiency and empower the institutions that facilitate governance at all levels for the even development of the state.

“The creation of offices, titles and units for persons who are then paid from public coffers cannot be an endless exercise. This government is also not obliged to accept the proliferation of districts just because it inherited them “our duty is to uphold that which is laudable and consequential, while finding the courage to limit what amounts to excess”.
However, observers of government’s action over the issue applauded the decision of the government to return the traditional institutions to their glorious past. They believed that the proliferation of the institution has made it to lose respect.

What all this indicates is a radical change from turning the revered traditional institution to a political patronage where those who do not have the background to parade themselves as traditional rulers become one. It is noteworthy that despite the large number of turbaned chiefs to keep tab on incessant communal strife in the state, many of them have failed in their responsibilities.
There is no doubt that this strategy would in no small measure help the local governments to concentrate on other developmental aspects rather than continue to spend their allocations in paying salaries.

Tijjani writes from Kaduna.

When the present administration came on board, it discovered a mismatch in the revenues of the local governments and their expenses which made some of them not to meet their constitutional responsibilities without support from the state government.

 

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