Assembly Wants Govt To Reconstitute Dev Committees

The Enugu State House of Assembly, has adopted a motion urging Governor Sullivan Chime to reconstitute the 57 development area committees in the state’s local government system.

The lawmakers also in their prayers directed the Commissioner for Local Government to follow up the motion to ensure its implementation.

The motion, sponsored by Dr Emeka Ogbuabor (PDP-Isi-Uzo), and co-sponsored by 19 other legislators, noted that the law establishing development centres demanded that the tenure of local government chairmen run alongside that of the committees.

Ogbuabor said the committees had in the past executed the roles assigned to them effectively.

“They helped the state to identify priority projects and encouraged various interest groups to execute viable programmes that contributed to the transformation of their localities.

“It is a veritable platform for leadership training, a spring board for breeding new council chairmen, and for politically empowering 399 persons as development committee members,’’ he said.

He called on the government to maintain its leading role in effective local government system by sustaining the development areas.

Supporting the motion, the Leader of the Assembly, Mr Sunday Ude-Okoye, said the reconstitution of the committees was necessary as the structures had become homes for hoodlums to carry out their criminal activities.

He said the ‘Visit Every Community’ policy of the state government was made active by the administrative committees, adding that it was easier to reach the communities through them than the local government chairmen.

Mr Abel Chukwu (PDP-Aninri), noted that the reconstitution was long over-due, claiming that the local governments were already receiving the allocation that should be used in the running of the areas.

Mr Ikechukwu Ezeugwu (PDP-Udenu), said the motion demonstrated the synergy between the legislature and the executive and reminded the government of its responsibility.

Ruling, the Speaker, Mr Eugene Odo, commended the sponsors of the motion, pointing out that the economic and political activities in the areas have been stalled for six months.

He requested the assembly committee on local government to liaise with the commissioner for local government to ensure response by the relevant government agencies.