Local government chairmen in Jigawa State are positioning themselves to deliver effective service in line with their campaign promises. PROFESSOR SALIM ABDULRAHMAN, chairman of the Association of Local Government Council of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state and the chairman of Gwaram Local Government Council, speaks with MUHAMMAD ZANGINA KURA about the journey so far.
It’s been 100 days since you and your colleagues assumed office as local government chairmen. How far so far?
Bismillahi rahmani Raheem. Yes, as you know, I and the other 26 local government chairmen and councillors were all voted into office under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform. This party has Governor Malam Umar Namadi as its state leader.
Remember, during the campaign tour, Governor Malam Umar Namadi urged the electorate to vote for APC candidates. Jigawa people voted for us overwhelmingly because they have confidence in Governor Namadi’s leadership and believe in our party’s ability to give them good governance.
During our swearing-in ceremony, he charged us to fear Allah, to be accountable and transparent, and to be committed to discharging our statutory responsibility. Governor Namadi charged us to always stay among our people, avoid unnecessary travelling outside our local government, and, importantly, resist the temptation to relocate to Dutse, the state capital, Kano state, or any other place outside our local government areas.
The governor promised to give us all the necessary support and guidance to fulfil our campaign promises to the people. As I am speaking to you now, because of the governor’s guidance and exemplary leadership, my colleagues and I can make a difference, improve the lives of our people, and take the right direction toward supporting the implementation of Governor Namadi’s 12-point agenda designed to make Jigawa state great.
What is your take on the Supreme Court verdict granting autonomy to local governments?
In Jigawa state, local government councils have been enjoying financial autonomy before the court ruling.
Governor Malam Umar Namadi has never tampered with local government funds. He has never interfered directly or indirectly with how the local government funds are expended. We are receiving our allocation and spending it under the law.
This financial autonomy has enabled local government councils to execute projects and programs that directly affect the lives of our people. In the last 100 days, we have executed solid projects, some completed and some ongoing, across the local government areas. Today, life is improving across all 27 local government areas of the state.
As the chairman of Gwaram LG, can you specifically tell us what you have done so far?
In Gwaram LG, for instance, in 100 days, we have rehabilitated and renovated over 200 hand pumps, including some that had been broken over three years ago. We also constructed about 20 new ones to improve our people’s access to clean drinking water. We also sustained an uninterrupted diesel supply to our motorized water supply facilities.
We believe that access to clean drinking water will improve the personal and environmental hygiene of our people and tackle many diseases, particularly waterborne diseases.
In the area of public healthcare service delivery, we purchase drugs and other medical consumables every month for free distribution to children, pregnant women, and other less privileged persons. Of course, this complements our governor’s efforts to make essential healthcare services accessible and affordable to everyone in the state.
We also sponsored free eye treatment, including minor surgery and providing drugs and eyeglasses to over 5,000 people. One other area where the local government under my watch is prioritizing is the area of human resources for health, where we are currently scouting for qualified school leavers to study health-related courses and be, upon graduation, posted to remote areas where there is currently a dearth of health workers.
In the area of power supply, we rehabilitated and restored power supply to over 10 communities, including Gwaram local government headquarters. We are collaborating with KEDCO on projects in other communities that we estimate will cost over N500 million. We will do the work in phases…
There are concerns over endemic poverty, and most people believe that a functional local government will help address the spate of poverty. What are council areas doing in this regard?
We are doing all we can to focus more on economic empowerment. For instance, in Gwaram, we have disbursed N50,000 to 220 petty traders to help boost their trade, and we have distributed clippers to 110 Barbers and 50 swing machines to 50 youths trained in tailoring. Within these 100 days in office, the Gwaram local government council distributed palliatives, including food items, to over 1,000 fewer privileges and provided clothes to over 1,000 orphans. Importantly, we are doing all it takes to reposition farming and other agricultural services.
We are committed to implementing state governor Namadi’s policy, under which all 27 local governments were directed to identify, prepare, and allocate 100 hectares to selected youth interested in farming; the government will give them a complete package of inputs and cash as an empowerment package.
Besides that, in the last couple of months, we distributed over 1,449 bags of fertiliser to rural farmers to boost their capacity to produce more for food security and economic growth.
What interventions are being made in the education sector?
We established 25 Islamiyya schools and employed 45 teachers in the education sector. We distributed over 11,000 exercise books to primary school pupils and have concluded plans to procure the 2025 JAMB forms for over 650 students. We will also disburse scholarships to those studying in higher institutions in addition to the ones they are receiving from the state government.
As ALGON chairman, are you impressed with how your colleagues are piloting the affairs of their respective councils?
I am very impressed because our achievements in Gwaram local government are similar to the transformation in all 27 local government areas of Jigawa State. We meet regularly to brainstorm and compare notes, and the reports of such meetings have been very encouraging.
In January, the 27 local government councils purchased drugs and other medical consumables worth over N218 million and distributed them to primary healthcare facilities across the state.
Under the initiative, the local government council, through ALGON, will contribute money every quarter of the year to support the state government policy of promoting access to quality essential healthcare services for all people of the state, irrespective of their economic and geographical location.
In the Agricultural sector, we are committed to implementing state governor Namadi’s policy, under which all 27 local governments were directed to Identify, prepare, and allocate 100 Hectares to selected youth interested in farming. The state government will give them a full package of inputs and cash as an empowerment package.
The local government councils purchased 300 motorcycles for the mobile Animal health workers. They also contributed money monthly to the purchase of veterinary drugs to support the state government policy of providing free veterinary services to herdsmen and other livestock farmers in the state to enhance livestock production and empower people through their own businesses.
In every single aspect of Governor Namadi’s 12-point agenda, the 27 local government councils are extracting their area of responsibility and implementing it to achieve the desired goals. This includes the education sector, water supply, empowerment, environmental development, and economic and social aspects.
We are making this progress because of the moral support and guidance from our leader, Governor Malam Umar Namadi.
