Good governance must start with local government, says Hon. Hassan Atawodi »

In an unscheduled visit to the offices of the appointed council members of Ofu Local Government Area on Monday, January 22, 2024, the chairman of Ofu Local Government, Hon. Sani Hassan Atawodi, “invaded” the offices of the supervisory members for budget and planning, works, and the Secretary to the local government to check their level of commitment.

The chairman, who arrived at the office at 8 a.m., praised the staff and members of his council for their punctuality in their duties. “I must commend you for this positive sign. I deliberately decided to visit you unannounced to see your level of commitment. I pray we all continue in this spirit. This action is not aimed at looking for errors but to help us fix our eyes on the objective of our goals for the good of our people.”.

“The cardinal responsibility of the local government area is to bring government closer to the people. Yes, the three levels of government are intertwined, but the core actions or activities of these levels of government are perceived at the local government level. In matters of governance and development, the local council is the place where the rubber meets the road. The set of activities that fall within the purview of local councils are the building blocks of all indices of good governance, economic growth, and human development.”

“According to the 1999 constitution, which is currently in force, local councils are responsible for primary, adult, and vocational education, health services, agriculture, and natural resource development. More importantly, the local council is the level of government that is most accessible and can be most accountable to the citizens. Poor villagers who cannot afford the cost of transportation to state capitals or the national capital can walk to their local councils to make their voices heard and demand accountability for service provisions.”

“On this note, we must ensure that we make ourselves available for our people and make sure adequate service delivery is dispensed. This is our mandate; this is why the government chose you; I am here to ensure due diligence,” he concluded.