‘Kogi’s LGs not performing’

Mixed reaction trailed the the performance of Local Government Areas across Kogi state as many people believed that they had performed below expectations.

A cross section of the people that spoke with the Nigerian Tribune from Kabba, Anyigba, Ankpa, Okene among others, noted that local governments had left many of the issues on their scheduled unattended to.

According to the people, among who were teachers, local government workers, artisans they regretted that local government no longer exitsted in the state.

They argued that many of the responsibilities of the local governments like payment of salary, construction of market stalls, construction and rehabilitation of roads had suffered in recent times.

Some of them however noted that the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) was the major problem facing the councils.

Although many of the local government workers spoke on condition of anonymity, they all complained about the failure of their respective local government administrators to pay their salaries.

According to them, many of them had lost count of the amount owed them as salary by government as this had started since the last administration in the state.

They added that many of them were being paid percentage of their salary for many months, saying this had made living difficult for them.

On infrastructural development, a retired primary school headmaster in Anyigba, Shuaibu Ogwu, said it was disheartening that local governments in the state could not point to developmental projects they embarked upon in the last two years.

He lamented that many of the local government roads that needed grading to ease transportation to farms in Ofu local government area were not attended to.

In the same vein, Sola Samuel, also lamented the poor state of infrastructure in the control of local government in the state.

The chairman of the state Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Taufiq Isa, could not be reached for his reaction to the stand of the people.