Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has directed local government speakers and councillors from across the 13 local government areas of the state to always take their issues before the Nasarawa State Economic Council.

Governor Sule gave the directive when he hosted the Forum of Local Government Speakers and Councilors at the Government House on Tuesday. 

The Governor told the 13 speakers and 147 councillors that his administration, in line with the Supreme Court judgment granting local government areas full financial autonomy, would not be able to specifically constitute an monitoring committee to oversee the take-off of financial autonomy for the councils, as demanded by the forum.

While also commending the council legislative arm for demanding for not only the full financial status of the councils in Nasarawa State, but for also calling for the setting up of a committee to audit the staff strength of the councils towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the handling of council funds, the Governor equally referred the forum to the state economic council. 

“In our spirit of trying to ensure that you have total autonomy, we decided to set up the Nasarawa State Economic Council. The essence is whatever issues you have similar to these, you pass them through the economic council which is being chaired by the Deputy Governor,” he said.

Similar to the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, where issues pertaining to states are discussed, he said the issues brought before the state economic council would be tabled before the state executive council for further deliberations.

“At the State Executive Council, we will look at them, we will discuss them. As long as they are not in contravention of the Supreme Court judgment, we will do it,” the Governor stated.

He said that as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his lunch with some governors on new year day, his administration would not shy away from its responsibility of ensuring that local government autonomy yields the desired results.

“We will not hands off and say we don’t care about local government areas.  We are working with you in partnership to ensure we develop the local government councils.  If you have issues of the implementation of that, we have a  local government law and let us follow up in line with the law,” he added.

On the accolades showered on him by the members of the forum on the full financial autonomy being enjoyed by the local government councils in the state, he said the speakers and councillors have President Tinubu to thank for the initiative to grant full financial autonomy to the councils.

“You have given me a lot of credit for the constitutional recognition, financial autonomy, and legislative authority that you have today. But I want to be fair to you. That credit should go to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  It should also go to the Attorney-General of the Federation because when he took this matter, some of us were not consulted, and we were not particularly happy with it. But he took it. We are living by it,” he said.

He further appreciated President Tinubu for pushing for the full financial autonomy of the councils, adding that his administration is working to ensure that autonomy works in Nasarawa State. 

He added that his administration would continue to partner with both the federal and local governments with a view to developing the councils to the benefit of the people at the grassroots. 

“For us in Nasarawa State, local government autonomy when it comes to finances, it is not going to be anything knew. From the year 2019, when I came in as a Governor, we had always given the local government total financial autonomy,” he said.

The Governor expressed satisfaction that with the present crop of competent speakers and councillors at the local government level, the dreams of the founding fathers of the state to sustain the development of Nasarawa State would be realized.

Earlier in an opening remarks, Chairman, Nasarawa State Forum of Speakers and Councillors, Hon.  Mohammed Shuaibu Madaki, said the visit was to foster cooperative partnership between the executive arm of government and elected officials at the local government towards enhancing good governance across all tiers of government in the state.

Madaki said members of the forum were also at the Government House to appreciate Governor Sule for undertaking reforms at the local government councils through the passage into law of the  Nasarawa State Local Government Repeal and Enactment Law 2024, which gave berth to the present crop of elected council officials. 

He called for further support and collaboration especially with the new status of the councils as financially independent entities.

Madaki, who doubles as the speaker of Lafia Local Government Area, therefore requested Governor Sule to set up an implementation and monitoring committee that would supervise the take-off of financial autonomy for the councils. 

He also called for the disclosure of the full renumeration of elected council officials, financial position of the councils, as well as conducting a full staff audit particularly for administrative, health and education staff of the local government areas towards ensuring transparency and accountability.

13 female councillors represented by Hon. Mainuna Angulu, Chief Whip Lafia Local Government Legislative Council and also State Women’s leader’s Councilors Forum, appreciated Governor Sule, as well as the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Aliyu Bello, for creating the conducive environment for them to be able to occupy their present offices.