Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has charged the newly elected Council Chairmen and Vice Chairmen to sustain the tempo of development which his government has since embarked on at the grassroot level, for the benefit of the masses.
Swearing in the Council leaders today, October 21, at the government House in Lokoja, the state capital, Governor Ododo reminded them that there would be no excuse for lack of performance by any of them.
He reminded them about the essence of new dispensation whereby local governments are as independent to operate as any other arm of government.
The Governor emphasized the need for the chairmen and vice chairmen to be dedicated in serving the people they represent.
Ododo further charged them to embark on projects and programmes that will improve the lives of the people and to ensure security of lives and property of the people in their areas.
He asked them to key into signature programmes of his government in the areas of health, agriculture, social welfare and empowerment initiatives to transform the lives of the people in their respective local government areas.
The Governor who described the local government as the most important tier of government and the closest to the people also enjoined the new council chairmen to ensure that the people are carried along in all their activities and to promote inclusion of all stakeholders in decision making process.
He stressed that the local government administration should not only be seen but must be felt by the people in line with the policy of his administration to bring governance closer to the people.
Governor Ododo called on the new chairmen to be transparent and accountable in running the affairs of the local government, and that they must see their election as an opportunity to justify the autonomy of the local government administration by according priorities to matters that have direct positive impact on the lives of the people at the grassroots.
The chairman of Yagba West local government area, Tosin Olokun, who spoke on behalf of the 21 local government chairmen assured of their commitment to complement the efforts of the state government by embarking on projects and programmes that will transform the lives of the people at the grassroots.
He also promised to unite the people, irrespective of political differences in line with the agenda of the state government under Governor Ododo, to unite the people of the state and focus more on development.
