Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed has charged the newly elected Local Government Chairmen, a Commissioner and six Special Advisers to justify public confidence through competence, integrity and effective service.
He charged the newly sworn-in chairmen of the 20 local government areas in the state to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of council funds.
The governor, who gave the charge during their swearing-in ceremony held at the State Government House, said consistent Local Government elections since 2019 demonstrated his administration’s commitment to strengthening democracy and effective governance at grassroots in the state.
He warned the chairmen against misappropriating local government funds, stressing that the financial autonomy granted to councils had placed greater responsibility on them to deliver good governance at the grassroots.
“You must not be tempted to misappropriate or divert local government funds. With financial autonomy now granted to local governments to run their affairs, you have no excuse for poor performance,” he said.
Mohammed urged the chairmen to regard their positions as an opportunity to serve the people rather than an avenue for personal gain or sharing public resources.
According to him, the people now have higher expectations of the newly elected council officials because of their proximity and accessibility to the grassroots.
“The position of local government is no longer a place where we go and share money. We go there to face challenges because the required human capacity, trust and confidence of the people must be built,” he said.
Segun Awofadeji
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