FG tasks 774 council chairmen with grassroots development

The federal government has tasked chairmen of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas with using their autonomy to deliver measurable improvements in the lives of citizens.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, gave the charge on Tuesday at the maiden Annual National Conference of the 774 Local Government Council Chairmen in Abuja.

Tinubu said local government autonomy was not an end in itself but an instrument for improving service delivery and development at the grassroots.

“Local government autonomy is not an end in itself, rather, it is an instrument for service,” he said.

He urged the council chairmen to prioritise primary healthcare, basic education, rural roads, access to safe water, food production, small businesses and opportunities for women and youths.

The President said the chairmen were best positioned to identify local challenges, particularly gaps in healthcare, agriculture, youth employment and community security.

“Your knowledge of where the clinic lacks medicine, where farmers need support, where young people need opportunity and where tension is beginning to rise, will help to deliver these dividends,” he said.

Tinubu said councils must become centres of planning, service delivery, early warning and measurable results rather than passive recipients of initiatives from the Federal Government.