Linus Oota, Lafia
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has vowed that he will remain open, accessible, accountable and transparent with the resources of his government, adding that his interest in politics is not for personal gain but to offer selfless service to the people of the state.
He said that he would use the finances of the government to positively transform remote rural communities that have been neglected.
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The governor observed that despite local government autonomy, nine of 13 councils in the central state cannot pay salaries. He vowed not to touch dedicated local government funds.
Sule said that he was one among the first governor’s to implement the directive of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on direct allocation to local government areas.
The governor stated this in Wamba local government while performing the foundation laying ceremony of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) project for the building of a primary school
He said that he deliberately refused to be part of the allocation, but after the sharing formulary was done nine local government chairmen reached out to him seeking permission to take funds meant for capital projects to be able pay salaries
The Governor apologised to the staff of the nine local governmnents for non payment of their June salaries, expressing sadness over the inability of the chairmen of the councils to develop their Internally Generated Revenue stream.
He called on the people to elect educated and competent people who can effectively handle the finances of their councils, especially in such difficult situations.
Governor Sule said that his administration’s focus is to target rural communities who have no or decayed infrastructure, and bring them out of poverty.
He noted that the LGEA primary school, Mararaba Gongon, in Wamba local government, is 50 years old with decayed infrastructures.
Speaking earlier, the senior special assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Murtala Muhammed, said that due process in line with global standards was followed in awarding the school contract to Asaa Global Integrated Ventures at the cost of N19 million.
The contract is to build four classrooms, staff office, head masters office, toilets and a solar powered borehole which will also benefit surrounding communities.
Chairman of Wamba local government area, Abubakar Abas, thanked the Governor for matching words with action by responding to the challenges of rural communities.