By Sylvia Okoi,CRS- MOI Officer reporting from Ministry of Local Government Affairs
The Governor of Cross River State, Sen (Prof) Ben Ayade has tasked Heads of Local Government Councils to exhibit high level transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
The call was made through the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Hon(Mrs) Stella Odey when she and her inspectorate team visited Biase Local Government Area during an on-the- spot assessment tour of infrastructural facilities in the area.
In her words, ” His Excellency, Governor Ben Ayade has drawn our attention to the fact that there must be Transparency and accountability in the Local Government system.You know we are accountable to the people, this is the third tier of Government and by virtue of that, it is the closest tier of Government to the rural populace.”
“if we are saying we want to use this amount of money for a project, then we must use the money for the project in order to trickle down benefits.” Mrs Odey said.
Addressing the Management Cadre of the Council staff, Hon. Odey stressed the need for Local Government Councils to be scrupulous in their record keeping, dress properly to work, and avoid being redundant during working hours.
Continuing,the Commissioner admonished Heads of Departments to live by example and also bring innovations that will trigger development in the Council.
Referring to Governor Ayade’s intellectual efficacy in improvising Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) for the State.
The MLGA Boss charged Council Heads to replicate same virtues by thinking out of the box in order to be able to sustain and also meet up with the demands of the Council.
She opined that every Local Government Area has comparative advantage over the other and as such should maximize it’s potentials effectively.
The Commissioner while inspecting some structures within the Council Premises, decried the dilapidated state of the temporary Primary Health care Centre and the poor condition of Staff Quarters,assuring that Government would intervene appropriately.
In her remark, the Head of Local Government Administration(HOLGA) Biase Local Government Area, Mrs. Cecilia Ogar informed that Biase Local Government Area was created in 1991, with the Headquarters at Akpet Central with eleven(11) Political Wards.
On challenges faced by the Council, Mrs. Ogar lamented the incessant Communal Crises, inter-State boundary disputes, lack of functional duty vehicles, demolition of Ibogo PHC Centre for overriding Public Interest, and dilapidated Staff Quarters,amongst others.
She called for the State Government’s intervention and solicited for the provision of Funds for the building of a new PHC In the Council premises as well as Funds for the Payment of Security Personnel in Erei Community.
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