A local government administrator has remarked that appreciable development cannot be achieved by the 776 local government areas of the country when governors cart away council revenue and leave them with nothing for development projects.
The Sole Administrator of Kogi local government area, Barrister Mohammed Tanko, noted that many councils even find it difficult to pay monthly salaries of workers or meet-up other sundry development needs of the Council.
He stated that even though the situation in Kogi had been “seamless as the governor does not touch local council allocations, for other projects, the federal allocation of the state is insignificant, therefore reports from other states calls for concern.”
Tanko, who spoke at the weekend at the 21st Chronicle Magazine Annual Lectures Series and 2017 distinguished community service honours awards, said the only solution to the problem was to give area councils full autonomy and “unfettered access to their monthly allocations.”
Also speaking, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, represented by DCP Francis Enobore, disclosed that “several issues such as prison congestion, poor quality food, internal sabotage and long incarceration of detainees which led to restiveness and jail breaks in the past are being tackled.”
The result of the new approach in prison administration, he said, was a reduction in jailbreaks and better relationship between detainees and their keepers.
On her part, the treasurer of Bwari area council, Evang. Rosemary G. Udzer, who was also one of those honoured at the occasion, commended the award organisers, saying it would go a long way to encouraging the awardees to do more for their communities.
In his welcome address, the Publisher of National Chronicle Magazine, Amb. Godwin Iorshoresh Nyitse, appealed to government at all levels to make the development of local government a top priority “by ensuring that monthly allocation meant for the councils get to them.”
He reasoned that the crisis of youth unemployment, which has become most acute in rural areas can be tackled and reduced through rural development, and especially by encouraging massive farming activities.
