By Muhammad Zangina Kura, Dutse
Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi, has warned local government chairmen in the state to desist from unnecessary absenteeism, noting that they were elected to serve the people and cannot run the administration virtually.
The governor issued the warning while speaking to journalists after paying a surprise visit to some local government secretariats, where he found that all the chairmen and senior staff of the councils were absent from office.
Governor Namadi expressed dismay at the condition in which he found the local government secretariats, adding that if leaders are not in office, then who will stay to attend to official duties?
According to the governor, the council chairmen are the drivers of council administration, and nothing can run smoothly if they do not attend office regularly.
Governor Namadi further stated that he would summon all the council chairmen for a meeting and read the riot act to them against unnecessary travel outside their local government areas.
“Local government councils are the closest government to the grassroots. The chairmen must remain on ground and listen to the demands of the people for necessary action. From there, we expect to know challenges that are beyond the councils’ capacity,” he said.
“So, if chairmen are always absent, how can they discharge the responsibilities placed on their shoulders by the teeming electorates? We will not tolerate this undemocratic behaviour and will take necessary action to tackle it,” Governor Namadi stated.
It could be recalled that during the swearing-in of the 27 local government chairmen in 2025, Governor Namadi had warned them against such a tradition of absenteeism or administering the council from outside the secretariat, and promised to take action against any chairman found with such a habit.
