Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has sworn in the 23 elected local government chairmen in the State, advising them to distribute dividends of democracy equitably without prejudice to political affiliation, gender, religious beliefs or ethnic background.
The governor, who stated this during the swearing-in ceremony of the chairmen at the Council Chambers of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna on Friday, also enjoined them to be transparent and accountable in the handling of public finances.
Sani reminded them that, ‘’you are taking charge as captains of local governments when the third tier of government has been granted financial autonomy.”
‘’Your allocation from the Federation Account will be public knowledge, necessitating transparency and accountability. Be available, accessible, responsive and fair in your dealings,’’ he added.
Governor Sani said local government chairmen are grassroots leaders who are the closest to the people, “so they should be the people’s voices, advocates, and champions.”
‘’Listen to their concerns, address their fears, and harness their potentials. Empower the people to participate in governance and ensure their voices are heard. In the words of Robert W. Flack: “Local government is the foundation of democracy; if it fails, democracy will fail,’’ he pointed out.
The governor implored the chairmen to provide rural infrastructure, including boosting agriculture, building and upgrading health centers and primary schools, enhancing economic and social services and ensuring sustainable natural resource use.
Sani also enjoined them to align with the state government’s rural transformation agenda and link up communities not covered by state roads.
‘’During your campaigns, you engaged with communities, listened to their concerns, and received feedbacks on their needs. I charge you to prioritize these needs, guided by the principles of equity, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability,” he added.
While congratulating the new chairmen, Sani urged the people of the State to hold their ‘’leaders accountable, demand transparency, participate in the budgeting process, and insist on quality service delivery.’’
The governor pointed out that the people’s engagement was crucial to ensuring transparency, accountability, and quality service delivery in the local government areas.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas; Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker, Yusuf Liman, among other dignitaries.
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