News Editor
By David Odama
Worried by the perceived bloated staff strength at the 13 Local government and 18 Development Areas in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule has constituted a five man verification committee to ascertain the authenticity and actual number of employed workers in the 13 Local government and 18 Development Areas in the state.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lafia Friday, Senior Special Assistance to the governor on Public Affirs, Peter Ahemba said the move for the government to beamed it searchlight on the 13 local government areas and 18 development areas was necessitated by the desire of the governor and the government to have a sound and functional implementation of the autonomy of Local government in Nasarawa state.
Clarifying the government decision on the need for the verification exercise, Ahemba said that the decision was the outcome of a recent meeting of the State Economic Council, chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe.
According to the SSA to the governor, “it was discovered that some local governments, especially development areas have over bloated staffs. so the screening has become necessary to ascertain the actual number of staffs in each of the council areas as well as their development areas”.
The SSA further disclosed that all the 13 local governments in the state, have been directed to acquire large expanse of lands for them to embark on cultivation of crops of their choices to help boost food production, ensure food security programme of the APC government of Engineer A. A. Sule.
He disclosed that in order to realize the food sufficiency programme in the state, two tractors were recently distributed by Vice President Kashim Shetima, during his one day visit to the state to each Local government to serve as a booster and source of encouragement to all the council areas to increase food production and food security policy of the state government.
On revenue generation, Ahemba, said local government councils in collaboration with the State Internal Revenue Service, have equally been directed to engage the services of consultants to boost their revenue generations.
He further disclosed that State Economic Council, has also directed all local government areas to submit proposals to the council before using the recent N400 million signature grant that accrued to each of the local governments in the state.
Earlier, NUJ Chairman in the state, Mohammed Alkali, commended Gov Sule, for considering journalists as partner in the development of the state.
Comrade Alkali then call for the sustenance of the cordial working relationship between the government and the journalists who he said are the watch dogs of the society reaffirming that journalist in the state would continue to play their roles of reshaping the society.
He assured that the union will continue to help in publicizing the policies and programs of the state government.
