Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has introduced biometric capturing machines to checkmate absentism among the newly sworn-in chairmen of local government areas in the state.
The governor, who revealed the measure on Monday during the swearing-in of the newly elected 27 local government chairmen along with 29 special advisers and seven new permanent secretaries, said henceforth the local government council bosses would have to thumbprint four times daily on the biometric capturing machine to be installed at their local government secretariats to register their presence at their workplace every working day.
He said the four times are: 8am, 12noon, 2pm and the 3:30pm closing time every working day.
He directed the state’s Ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, to install the machines immediately to ensure that the local government council chairmen assume duties.
Zulum said, “I have advised local chairmen severally in the past to stay in their local areas with the restoration of sufficient peace and security, but this advice was not heeded.
“This time, I am serious. Every local government chairman will now have to thumbprint four times to ensure that he is at his workplace every working day.”
The governor who reminded the chairmen that abscondment from office is an impeachable offence, revealed that he has a security report of all LGA chairmen who were lodging in hotels in Maiduguri instead of staying in their domains to serve their people.
He urged the council chairmen to travel to remote communities across their respective local government areas to appreciate the hardships, needs and aspirations of the communities instead of remaining at the local government headquarters only.
Continuing, he said: “No chairman should give any excuse that he cannot go to a community because a bomb is planted along the road. During the primary election, we stressed that whoever is not ready to traverse his rural communities should not contest.”
The governor also said that he had received reports that LG chairmen and commissioners complain to the public that he does not allocate funds to their offices for the conduct of government business.
“In the past six months, no LGA received less than N400 million. So, any chairman or commissioner who complains that I don’t release funds for him to work should resign,” the governor declared.
He, therefore, charged the newly sworn-in special advisers, permanent secretaries and LG chairmen to be above board in the conduct of government business.
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