got committee’s accolades
By Olanrewaju Adesanya
Ahead of the expiration of the council chiefs tenure by June 2021, the Chairmen of Apapa Local Government and Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area, have affirmed poise to promptly pay political office holders severance.
The Chairmen; Hon. Elisha Owolabi Adele, Apapa Local Government Area and Hon Fumilayo Akande Mohammed Apapa Iganmu LCDA, made the assertion while hosting the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Development and Community Affairs on an oversight visit to their different councils.
According to the Chairmen the visit will help encourage them to deliver on their mandates as executives at the grassroots level of governance.
Adele said: “You can see the gigantic structure we have in place, same goes for the premises you can see so many projects that we’ve embarked upon, 15 roads were been constructed and this edifice that you are seeing contains close to 45 administrative offices including canteen,staff clinic to just to mention a few and also a LAWMA truck pack.
“With their visitation and this commendation, the reward for hard work is more work. So I am promising Lagos State and entire people of Apapa that
we shall deliver on the mandate and the oath of office we took at inception.
“We will ensure the prompt payment of severance packages to our political office holders before the expiration of our tenure”, said Adele.
Earlier at Apapa Local Government, the Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government Development and Community Affairs, Hon. Olawale Abdulsubor reiterated his persistent call on management of Apapa Local Government Area and Apapa Iganmu LCDA to ensure that severance and furniture allowances are paid to all the political office holders before the expiration of their tenure in June this year.
In continuation of the committee’s oversight visits to all the councils in Lagos State,Olawale harped on the fact that it is not ideal for the would be council administration after this to inherit backlog of unpaid severance.
He made this remark on Thursday while checking the books of the council management and feeling the pulse of the legislature and NULGE officials at Apapa Local government and Apapa-Iganmu LCDA.
Olawale also expressed disappointment over the fact that only few out of the 18 members of the council received half of the furniture allowance elected officials of the council are entitled to.
He however, noted that Apapa Local government, ranks amongst the best it terms of infrastructural development and monthly allowances.
Hon. Rasheed Makinde, a member of the committee who gave a recap of the visit, commended the council chief for the forthright and painstaking effort to ensure the delivery of the dividend of democracy to the people of Apapa Local Government.
“What we met here is commendable, some local governments are not too buoyant, but in terms of Apapa we know their IGR and their federal government transfers.
“It has really shown with the series of works embarked upon, some completed, some at different level of completion, so I want to commend the council Chairman and the management as a whole, for their foresight in making sure that they use the funds available judiciously for the benefit of their community.
“I congratulate them for the good job,the secretariat is an edifice and by their promise within two,three months it will be completed, that is commendable.
At Apapa Iganmu LCDA under the leadership of Mrs. Funmilayo Akande Muhammed, the selfless moves of the council boss to fix things up after the debilitating effect of the EndSars protest on the council secretariat was also commended by the visiting house committee.
Hon. Kehinde Joseph also a member of the house committee on oversight visit there, reflected on what the committee met on ground at Apapa Iganmu LCDA, “the council has some challenges especially the aftermath of the EndSars issues,some part of their secretariat got burnt as well as some buses but the council boss and management had made frantic efforts to rebuild and restore.
In her reaction to the visit, Mrs. Akande Mohammed appreciated the committee, noting that the visit will gear them to do more.
“We welcome the Assembly’s local government committee on oversight visit to our council, to check on our welfare, the relationship between the council and the management, they commend the synergy between us and we really appreciate their visit because it will allow us to do more.
“Although the tenure is coming to an end but we will try as much as possible to improve on the welfare and all we are doing for each other,” said Akande Mohammed.