BY BARR ( DR) UGOJI NWABUEZE
(ODENIGBO)
FORMER, SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR ON NON INDIGENE AFFAIRS.
In response to the recent Supreme Court judgement on Autonomy of the Local Government, the Governor, Bola Mohammed pursuant to reaping the gains of the judgement has scrapped the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs stating that Supreme Court judgement has rendered the Ministry and it's supervisory Commissioner irrelevant.
By, this, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state was gone with the wild wind of innovation.
*ESSAY OF THE MONTH* has over the years built strong ties with leaders of the Nigerian State who have brought quick responses, innovations and dividends to sustaining democratic ethos and excellence in governance. Hence, we are not here to celebrate the loss of appointment of Food on the Table but the governors inclination and quick response to things that can improve our democratic structures.
It is widely acclaimed that Governor Bola Mohammed was the first Governor to reduce the cost of governance by shrinking the establishment of government and first to implement the judgement of the Supreme Court on the Autonomy of Local Government and now the scrapping of Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and it's Commissioner.
Since 1999, when we began uninterrupted march in our democracy, Nigerians have never failed to raise the red flag against excess running cost of governance. It has been the collective desire and aspirations of Nigerians to have reduced cost of governance at the Local, state and Federal Government levels.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had early in the year set up a Committee to merge government establishments with conflicting portfolios and agendas/ mandates. The aim was to shrink the runing cost of government at the Federal level. At the state level some governors have also given their thoughts in this direction.
Nigerians plead for reduction of running cost in our democratic governance. We commend quick response governors in this direction like the Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Senator, Prince Bassey Edet Otu for prioritising political appointments in tandem with availability of funds and needs of the state.
The Governor has been systemic, wise and prudent in the appointments of appointees and creation of offices. The governor is of the view that not every body will become an appointee including this writer but will ensure that appropriate empowerments and largesse will be evenly spread to all in the spirit of "Me First" Mantra and sweetness.
We urge all leaders to be more innovative in pruning down the cost of running our democratic structures.
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