Niger’s Ward Development Committee Warned Against Bank Loan

Members of the Ward Development Project Committee, to be constituted across the 274 wards, have been cautioned against obtaining bank loans for any project.

Instead, the chairman of the project’s state steering committee and Commissioner of Rural and Community Development, Phallalu Banko Mohammed, admonished the committees to initiate projects based on their monthly allocation of N3 million.

LEADERSHIP reports that the government of Mohammed Umaru Bago has initiated a community-based Ward Development project for the 274 wards. N3 million has been released for each ward, amounting to N822 million monthly.

Consequently, Bako Mohammed, head of the state steering committee, embarked on a weekend sensitisation tour of the 8 Emirates.

Speaking during the people’s sensitisation at the palaces of Etsu Nupe, Emir of Borgu, and Emir of Kagara Emirates, the Commissioner warned that the government would not hesitate to sanction any ward committee that obtains a bank loan to argue the monthly allocation to the ward.

He noted that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the ward development project meets specifications while appealing to traditional rulers and stakeholders to collaborate with various ward committees to ensure prudent utilisation of the available funds.

The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Emir of Borgu, Barrister Muhammad Sani Haliru Dantoro, and the Emir of Kagara, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed Gunna, all promised to work closely with the ward development committees to achieve the desired objective of bringing development closer to the people.