• Speakers charge LG chiefs to prioritise people’s needs

By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State Government has organised a four-day capacity building training for the newly inaugurated Local Government Chairmen and Vice Chairmen to prepare them for their new roles as chief executives at the grassroots level.

A statement by Mashood Abdulrafiu Agboola, Deputy Chief
Press Secretary, Government House Ilorin, said the programme was organised in collaboration with the 7 Yard Resources Limited, a top management firm, while the
Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Oba AbdulKadir Magaji, chaired the interactive session that featured lectures and discussions that centered around the responsibilities of the local council chiefs, challenges of leadership, the prospects and how they can tackle the different challenges that may come their way.

Magaji said the essence of the retreat was to equip the participants with basic things and prepare them for the tasks ahead.

He requested them to take the workshop very seriously by tapping from the wealth of experiences of various speakers.

“Irrespective of whatever experiences they must have had, there would be areas to learn from. No knowledge is a waste. I urge you to take this very seriously,” he said.

Prof Hassan Saliu, who was the lead speaker at the occasion, said it becomes imperative for the new Chairmen and Vice Chairmen to understand what federalism and democracy is “because they are going to operate under this system. They have to know their realities, moderate their expectations, and know the kind of promises they make to their people”.

Speaking on financial autonomy for local governments in the country, Prof Saliu noted that the concept is evolving in the Nigerian context and still requires a lot of clarity.

He advised the administrators of the third tier of government to be financially prudent.

“Three principal factors they must consider include the vision and mission of the APC government because that is the ruling party. Secondly, autonomy has been granted, but there are still some cobwebs surrounding the issue of autonomy,” he said.

“So, it is not as if you get into the office and think the rain of autonomy will just be falling on you. You are still under the state government, and you should be clear about that. There are still certain issues that need to be cleared regarding the full and effective implementation of the autonomy. You need to understand all the issues.”

He said the state has continued to evolve since its creation in 1967, particularly under the present administration, alluding to the infrastructure development, peaceful coexistence, relative religious harmony, and national political visibility among other indices.

Participants, who spoke with newsmen, such as the Chairmen for Ifelodun, Ilorin West and Baruten LGs, said the training gave them the opportunity to further understand their responsibilities and what the people’s expectations are, pledging to work to positively impact the lives of people at the grassroots level.