We need urgent FG’s intervention in Michika – LG chair

The executive chairman, Michika local government area, Adamawa state, Hon. Micheal Shehu, Tuesday said the council is one of the worst hit by activities of Boko Haram.

Consequently, he called on the federal government to come to the aid of his people who are still devastated by the impact of Boko Haram activities.

Speaking with journalists in Yola, Shehu stated that although normalcy was being restored to some extent, there were still pockets of attack from time to time.

He said the state government was digging trenches round the local government and putting up other security measures and this would enable it to curtail the activities of Boko Haram to some extent.

“We are pleading with the federal government to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of our people. We are also part of this country and it is a known fact that Michika and Madagali are the worst hit followed by Mubi and Maiha.

“So, we are appealing to the federal government to come to our aid by providing necessary assistance such as houses, social amenities as they are doing in other places. Many of our children are out of school, some lost their properties and means of livelihood without succour from government.”

He said since the return of Michika people, life has not been the same again with people who are still leaving with the impact of the insurgency even though the state government is doing its best to provide food items adding that despite these efforts, they are still battling with many challenges.

The chairman further noted that the pathetic situation they found themselves added to the effect of COVID-19 and the economic down turn have compounded their woes to the extent that after payment of salaries, which the governor is augmenting, they were usually left with nothing to execute development projects and they would not have been able to pay salaries if not for the governor’s intervention in terms of augmenting less privileged local governments.

He added that although with the financial autonomy granted to local governments by Governor Fintiri’s government, the councils received huge resources as their share of federal allocations which all go to payment of salaries to about 400 staff, gulping close to N120billion monthly.

He said the councils are thus left with deficit of two to three million naira every month after payment of salaries, not to talk of executing projects for their people.

He further stated that it was further compounded by the fact that business people who hitherto used to come to Michika for business which enabled the local government to generate revenue no longer come due to insurgency that seriously affected their revenue drive.

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