Samuel Akala: Reactivating LGA’s responsibility through provision of facilities

From Francis Nansak

Decades ago, the local government system was less attractive and its purpose of establishment was at near collapse, due to how irresponsive those who administered the third tier had rendered the constitutional aim useless.

The local government, which was the pride of the rural dweller that appears as the only mediator between the federal and state government was in comatose with no challenging impact to the grassroots as it only serves as a collection center where those privilege to have enjoyed employment goes in and out for their salaries with no significant contribution to the development of the host community.

In Nigeria, a country with not less than 774 LGAs only but a few can account for rural and community development that has direct bearing on the lives of their people. At a point, the local government system hands up in even environmental sanitation and creating of public awareness to some Federal and state government programmes that are beneficial to their people.

These was occasioned by hijacked of the local government finances by some state governors,in the guise of Joint Account that ended up in squeezing the effecacy and effectiveness of the administration of the LGAs by those if at all are assumed to be the elected chairmen of the local governments.

However, since the grant of the local government autonomy and it’s practice in Nasarawa state under the administration of the incumbent governor, Engineer Abdullahi A.Sule which has given a rise in development by some elected chairmen of lGAs in Nasarawa state, there has been springs of community development,which in some cases the governor was drafted to commission.

KARU local government area ,under the leadership of Honourable Samuel Akala Gajere, has on several occasions had the privilege of hosting the state governor to such commissioning of projects initiated by the council in the last two years of his three years in office.

On Monday, at Angwan Pa Iche, a community of Panda Development Area of KARU local government area in Nasarawa state, the deputy governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe was present as he performed another round of Samuel Alana’s project of a primary health care clinic.

This was apart from some others that the governor himself had commissioned at Uke and Roguwa, amongst roads schools and housing projects that the council chairman has as his legacy projects.

At the commissioning of the Primary Health care ceremony in Agwan Pa of Panda Development Area in Karu Local government, Hon Samuel Akala, the council’s chairman, stated that the clinic was not only renovated but built by his administration from the foundation to its eventual completion.

He said the renovation was in fulfilment of his determinations to ensure that his people in the rural communities have access to quality Health care services and not travelling to distance places to access same services in already congested health facilities.

“Aside what we are witnessing today, my administration has also delivered many infrastructure development and services to our people in various sectors which include education, road,housing, healthcare and a host of other. All of these are part of our overall goal of making a mark and leaving a lasting legacy for our people. “he stated

Akala however used the opportunity to advised people especially the community that is the immediate beneficiary of the project to ensure that the facility is protected and well taken care of saying that, “this is our legacy but it is your own facility that should be maintained for the benefit of all and many generations to come.

While commissioning the project, the Deputy Governor commended the Karu council chairman for keying into people’s oriented projects especially the Health care which was designed to add value to the people in the rural communities who often finds it difficult to access health care services.

He assured that Engineer Sule led administration would continue to support all well meaning projects and programmes designed to add value to people’s life.

Meanwhile some of the benefitting members of the community expressed happiness with the project saying that it would help them access health care services easily.

Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Gurku was full of praise for both the Nasarawa state governor and Karu local government council for undertaking developmental projects that impacted positively on the people of Nasarawa state and the area.

Jibrin Gurku however said just as the Oliver twist who always ask for more, they would be happy to have more projects and programmes innitiated and executed especially in the area of roads infrastructure, especially the two major roads from Keffi and Maraba gurku linking Panda,where the two bridges were left uncompleted.

Our correspondent reports that Panda, an agricultural fertile area lacks good motorable roads, electricity and portable drinking water,yet with many private investment on estate development that was earmarked by the state government to serve as smart city.