The Change Mantra Should Start From The Local Government Level-ALGON chairman

Rabiu Omaku

Hon.Suleiman Wambai, the Sole Administrator of lafia local government has chastise the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for the injustice meted on the third tier of government, Wambai said the local government are mere appendage of the state government and toys in the hands of members of state houses of Assembly.” adding that the change matra of the led-federal government should be applicable to local governments.

Hon.Wambai stated this when members of the correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ,Nasarawa state wing paid him a courtesy call at his office, the Sole Administrator enumerated some of the challenges of local government with an overview in Nasarawa state saying the state has the highest number of workforce ,he further opined that local government in the state has a total number of 33,100 civil servants.

“We have the highest number of primary schools, Primary Health Care, clinic while we paid traditional rulers their five (5) from the same lean resource accrued to the local government.

Suleiman described the actions of RMAFC as an inherent injustice and a deliberate policy to truncate the existence of local government as an arm of government, he listed absence of autonomy as a major constraint affecting the operation of third tier of government, saying the central and state government carted away the lion share of allocation.

Federal government -33.08 percentage

State government-26.72 percentage

Local government-20.20 percentage

The Sole Administrator also blamed the central-state government for absence of tenure of elective officials of local government as he averred that tenure of elective positions were determined by houses of Assemblies without having regard to local government.

” It was only in local government that Nasarawa state has different tenure of one year, FCT four years while others are either two or three years depending on the agreement.

Wambai also identified over staffing in some local governments in the state as a serious threat to the existence of the system, he further attested that some heads of local governments and Development Areas issued and signed appointment letters during weekends leaving behind negative tendencies behind.