By DANJUMA JOSEPH, Lafia –
Local Government chairmen and elected councillors in Nasarawa State, are to maintain the status quo by spending only 3 years in office.
This was the resolution of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly (NSHA), concerning the tenure ofelected Local Government Chairmen and Councilors in the State.
It will be recall that the immediate passed local government chairmen and their councillors spent only 3 years in office.
The NSHA, also detached Ministry for Local Government,, the Local Government Service Commission and Local Government Pension Board, from the affairs of LGAs in the State while the 18 Development Areas are replaced as Area Administrative Councils, to be headed by Area Administrators instead of Overseers.
The house futher resolved that the Area Administrators and Four other members each for the 18 Area Administrative Councils, will be appointed by the Governor, with the approval of the State House of Assembly, just as it maintains the powers to oversights the activities of LGAs in the State as provided by the constitution.
Speaker of the House, Hon. Danladi Jatau, presided when the assembly deliberated and adopted the report of House Standing Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs on A Bill for a Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Establishment, Structure, Composition, Finance, and Function of Local Government System in Nasarawa State 2024 and Other Matters Connected Thereto during the House proceedings on Tuesday.
The Speaker slated Wednesday, Oct 30 for the third reading and passage of the bill into law.
According to the Speaker, the bill is apt, especially now that the federal government is making efforts to see that the Local Government Areas achieve full autonomy and in Nasarawa State LG election is just by the corner.
“The law if passed and assented to, the state shall contribute 20 per cent as grants to the Area Administrative Councils Development Account for the purpose of rural infrastructural development.
“And each Local Government may make contributions in form of grants or counterpart fundings to the Area Administrative Councils for the purpose of infrastructural development for the Area Administrative Councils.
“There shall be a Department in each Local Government and Area Development Council to be known as Traditional Remittance Allocation Fund(TERAF) into which all remittance and disbursement shall be made directly to Traditional Councils.
“There shall be no deduction or charges in whatever form or name in the TERAF” he said.
Earlier, Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs while presenting the report said that the bill if finally passed would promote grassroots development.
In all he presented 20 recommendations in the report of the bill where the House stepped down two of the recommendations by taking off the State LG Service Commission from the affairs of the LGAs completely.
It approved that the appointment of Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Council shall be made by the Director of Personnel Management (DPM) and forward to the Executive Chairman for approval and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk must have cognate experience in legislative practice and procedure.
“And shall be officers not below grade level 12 in case of the Clerk and grade level 10 in case of Deputy Clerk” he said.
The bill also recommended that there shall be monthly or quarterly meeting of the Area Administrative Council Management Committee to be called (ACAC)
“Administrative Council Account Committee will be responsible for the purpose of distribution of funds meant for Rural Development” he said.
