The Kaduna State Government has embarked on mass sack of traditional rulers follwong the restructuring of districts and village units aimed at reducing the burden that a bloated payroll imposes on local government councils.
The process, which saw the State reverting to the 77 districts and 1,429 village units that existed prior to 2001, relived 313 District Heads and 4,453 Village Heads of their appointments.
State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Alhaji Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, told news men today, Sunday at a news briefing in the state capital that said that the development will empower the councils to be able to undertake capital projects and deliver public goods.
Jafaru Sani said that the state government reverted to the 77 districts and 1,429 village units that existed prior to 2001 after consultation with the state Council of Chiefs.
The commissioner said that the creation of 313 more districts from 2001 increased the number of district heads to 390, which along with personnel in the district office, added more than 2,700 employees to the payroll of the local government councils.
He said that a committee set up to address the administration of districts concluded that the proliferation creates a financial burden for local government councils.
“The state government is happily and conscientiously supporting all the 32 emirs and chiefs in Kaduna State. It is the duty of the state government to pay the salaries and allowances of all the 32 chiefs. And the state government shall continue to be responsible for all our graded chiefs.”
He said that the support includes providing official vehicles which have now being purchased for distribution to the third-class chiefs and the maintenance of palaces, ten of which have recently been renovated.
The commissioner observed that while the state government is comfortably discharging its obligations to the 32 chiefs, the local government councils are not able to do the same for their district heads:
“By the provision of the Local Government Administration Law (2012), it is the responsibility of the local government councils to cater for the 390 district heads.” [myad]
