Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has charged the newly elected Council Chairmen of the local governments to remain committed to the path of service to the people, which is the tradition of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.
Governor Fintiri made the charge at the swearing-in ceremony of the Council Chairmen on Monday.
Fintiri said their victory remains a work in progress which they must uphold in their duties to the people.
“This isn’t a part-time job. As leaders of the closest tier of government to the people, your doors must be wide open and your people must have access to you as much as possible at all times. I must emphasize that the era of absenteeism at your respective local governments is gone. Under no circumstance should your people look for you and you are not there” Fintiri said
According to him, “With the Supreme Court judgement, the debate over financial autonomy for the local government councils is officially over. Even though, as a government, in Adamawa state, we are five years old ahead of the judgement. We have conferred financial autonomy to the local government councils long before the Supreme Court made its recent pronouncement. But one cannot deny the fact that the recent judgement has come with its excitement. Webbed in this excitement is my profound often call for transparency and accountability’’ he said.
‘’The people whom you just swore to serve today, have not just become wiser but bolder. They would follow their money where it is. They would ask questions and demand answers. They would expect performance and insist that every dime meant for their development is rightly utilized. What this means is that you must shun corruption and all corrupt tendencies. You must at all times be accountable and responsible to the people as their leaders’’ Fintiri said.
He therefore called on them to remain focused on their duties to be the political leaders of their Councils and leaders of the Party in their respective local governments and discharge their duties with the deserved seriousness to the people.
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The Chairman of Toungo local government area council, Suleiman Ahmed, on behalf of his sworn-in colleagues applauded Governor Fintiri’s quality style of leadership which laid the foundation for their victory.
He reiterated the commitment of his colleagues in discharging their duties diligently in line with the development agenda of the state government and in the best interest of Adamawa people.
The Chairman assured the people of the state of their commitment to the dividends of democracy in their respective local governments and promised not to disappoint the people who elected them into office.
The oath of office and allegiance was administered to the chairmen by the State Chief Judge, Justice Hapsat Abdurrahman.
It could be recalled that the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, won in all the 21 LGAs of the state as well as the 225 Councillorship seats and lost only one seat to the New Nigeria People’s Party candidate in Demsa Ward.
The ruling Party in the country, the All Progressives Party (APC), did not participate in the election which took place on 13 July in all the 21 local government areas in the state.
Emmanuel Ukoh
