The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has ratified a three-year tenure for elected Local Government Chairmen and Councilors within the State.
The House has effectively separated the Ministry for Local Government, Local Government Service Commission, and Local Government Pension Board from the affairs of Local Government Areas within the State, concurrently replacing the 18 Development Areas with Area Administrative Councils, now headed by Area Administrators rather than Overseers.
The Governor will appoint Area Administrators and four other members for each of the 18 Area Administrative Councils, subject to approval by the State House of Assembly, which retains oversight powers over local government areas in the state as stipulated by the constitution.
Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, made this declaration during today’s proceedings in Lafia, as the House deliberated on and adopted the report of the Standing Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs regarding the Bill for a Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Establishment, Structure, Composition, Finance, and Function of Local Government System in Nasarawa State 2024 and related matters.
The Speaker said that the bill is apt, especially now that the federal government is making efforts to see that the Local Government Areas achieve full autonomy and in Nasarawa State LG election is just by the corner.
” The law if passed and assented to, the state shall contribute 20 per cent as grants to the Area Administrative Councils Development Account for the purpose of rural infrastructural development.
” And each Local Government may make contributions in form of grants or counterpart fundings to the Area Administrative Councils for the purpose of infrastructural development for the Area Administrative Councils.
” There shall be a Department in each Local Government and Area Development Council to be known as Traditional Remittance Allocation Fund(TERAF) into which all remittance and disbursement shall be made directly to Traditional Councils.
” There shall be no deduction or charges in whatever form or name in the TERAF, he said.
The Speaker commended the committee for good job and appreciated lawmakers for their positive contributions on the bill.
Earlier, Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs while presenting the report said that the bill if finally passed would promote grassroots development.
In all he presented 20 recommendations in the report of the bill where the House stepped down two of the recommendations by off the State LG Service Commission from the affairs of the LGAs completely.
And approved that the appointment of Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Council shall be made by the Director of Personnel Management (DPM) and forward to the Executive Chairman for approval and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk must have cognate experience in legislative practice and procedure.
” And shall be officers not below grade level 12 in case of the Clerk and grade level 10 in case of Deputy Clerk” he said.
The bill also recommended that there shall be monthly or quarterly meeting of the Area Administrative Council Management Committee to be called (ACAC)
” Administrative Council Account Committee will be responsible for the purpose of distribution of funds meant for Rural Development” he said.
He said that there shall be Established State Economic Council to be held once every month to discuss economic status of the State to be chaired by the State Deputy Governor with Secretary of the State Government as the Secretary and other members to include Commissioners of Planning, Finance and Justice among others deem fit to be part of it.
Earlier, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Abel Yakubu Bala, moved a motion for the adoption of the committee’s report.
Hon. Luka Iliya Zhekaba, the Minority Leader of the House seconded the motion.
The House unanimously adopted the committee’s report.
In a related development, the House has passed into law, A Bill for a Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Nasarawa State Electricity Power Agency Law, 2018 and Re.Enact Nasarawa State Electricity Generation, Transmission, System Operation, Distribution and Supply, Commission and for Other Matters Connected Therewith, 2024.
Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, the Speaker of the House announced the passage of the bill into law during the House proceedings today in Lafia.
Speaker Jatau said that the bill, if assented to would empower the state government to generate and distribute electricity in order to overcome problem of poor power supply in the state.
The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House to produce a clean copy of the bill for Governor Sule assent.
Earlier, Rt. Hon. Abel Yakubu Bala, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House moved a motion for the bill to scale third reading.
Hon. Luka Iliya Zhekaba, the Minority Leader of the House seconded the motion.
The House unanimously passed the bill into third reading.
