By Ahmed Ilallah
Democracy is to heighten good leadership with general participation and inclusion in governance.
The local government administration system in Jigawa is anti-clockwise with the positive provision of democratic governance, as a result of attitudes of leaders and poor governance at the local government level in the state.
The Local Government Chairmen are playing against the elected official’s style that took an oath to serve according to the laid rules in a democratic manner.
Where are the problems? Is it from the laws of the local government administration in the state? Where is the case?
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria attends to his office, does his normal work schedules, attends to the public officially, and communicates with the general public on arising matters. Likewise the Executive Governor. We never heard of them doing government work at their residence in hotel rooms or at their farms.
However, the majority of the Local Government Chairmen in Jigawa only entered the Secretariat on special occasions, some put their legs two or three times a month.
They are powerful enough not to carry out officials’ duties at their official offices, they are operating either at their homes, hotel rooms, or their farms.
Not only that, these leaders are powerful and more than the oldest kingship style, more imperial than democratic, these have accelerated the poor governance at the grassroots level in the state.
The ugly part of it, some Local Government Chairmen are spending more than a week without entering the Local Government Headquarters. The majority of them aren’t residing in their local governments.
The President of the Federal Republic holds a weekly council meeting, likewise, the Executive Governor does the normal council meeting to discuss the affairs of the country and the state respectively.
The local government administration system in Jigawa is different, each local government in Jigawa has more than 15 members in the council, but which local government is holding regular council meetings? What are the engagements between the legislative, supervisory councilors, and advisers, these people are elected and appointed for the leadership of the local governments. The system is not functioning very well.
The Local Government Secretariats in some local government areas have deteriorated, the majority of the workers are not coming to work, and only a few of them are punctual.
The Chairmen have slimed the work to themselves and a few cronies. Simply the civil service work has been destroyed, as a result of poor leadership. The local government Chairmen usually work with the treasurer, cashier, and some directors, the bureaucracy and division of labor in the system is abused.
In the recent monitoring visit by the Jigawa State Governor to some LGA Secretariat, some offices of senior staff are locked, with signals that they have been locked for a long time. This has signaled the deterioration of public service at the local government level.
It is high time for the present administration to look at how the local government is running in Jigawa state.
Ilallah writes from Jigawa. He can be reached via alhajilallah@gmail.com
