Memo to local council chairmen

No doubt, the recent fuel subsidy removal by President Tinubu on May 29 has further pushed many citizens into a difficult economic situation.

The subsidy removal on fuel can be described as the best decision at the moment due to the billions of naira being spent daily on subsidising consumption from the money that should have gone into national development such as infrastructure, education, health and agriculture.

The subsidy removal means more money will accrue to the government for sharing between the three tiers – federal, state and local governments. This means twice what was usually being shared is now on the table for the three tiers of government. This month over N900 billion was shared at FAAC. The figure is significantly more than the previous figures. 

Local government councils are the closest to the grassroots, therefore, your positive actions have a direct impact on improving the quality of the citizens’ lives.  

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It will be good and also important for all the local government council chairmen to be conscious of their important role in alleviating the suffering of their respective local citizens. With the improved income to your respective councils, you can work towards providing mass transit services at subsidised cost, build more health care centres with enough drugs also at subsidised prices, build more classes in our primary schools to decongest already crowded classes, assist our students in higher institutions with a token to support them in their pursuit for education, render assistance to the most vulnerable in the society, train our youths in various trades and empower them to reduce the level of unemployment etc. 

As chief executives of your various local councils, you have a very important role to play towards cushioning the hardship associated with subsidy removal while the state government and  House of Assembly, as the sole supervisors of the local government councils, can monitor to ensure there is no mismanagement or wastage of the funds accrued to the local councils.   

As politicians, the electorate will hold you to your various campaign promises. With sincerity, you can change the situation from the present despair to elation. 

Haruna Ibrahim, Kofar Fada, Kafin Hausa ([email protected])