Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has sworn in newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of the 21 local government areas in the state with a charge to be dedicated to serving the people they represent.
The Special adviser to the governor, media and publicity, Ismaila Isah, stated this in a statement on Monday in Lokoja.
According to him, the swearing-in ceremony was held at the government house in Lokoja.
The governor urged the new chairmen to sustain the tempo of development at the grassroots level by embarking on projects and programmes that will improve the lives of the people.
He charged the new local government chairmen to ensure the security of lives and property and key into signature programmes of the administration in the areas of health, agriculture, social welfare and empowerment initiatives to transform the lives of the people in their respective local government areas.
Ododo said, “There is a need for you to be transparent and accountable in running the affairs of the local government. You must see your election as an opportunity to justify the autonomy of the local government administration by according priorities to matters that have a direct positive impact on the lives of the people at the grassroots.”
The governor, who described the local government as the most important tier of government and the closest to the people, also enjoined the new council chairmen to ensure that the people are carried along in all their activities and to promote the inclusion of all stakeholders in the decision-making process.
He noted that the local government administration should not only be seen but must be felt by the people in line with the policy of his administration to bring governance closer to the people.
In response, the chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Tosin Olokun, who spoke on behalf of the 21 local government chairmen gave assurance of their commitment to complement the efforts of the state government by embarking on projects and programmes that will transform the lives of the people at the grassroots.
He also promised to unite the people irrespective of political differences in line with the agenda of the state government under Governor Ododo to unite the people of the state and focus more on development.