Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The immediate past Governor of Benue State and Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, has called for greater synergy between former and current local government chairmen in Nigeria to fast-track development and ensure continuity in governance.
He made the call while speaking at the official flag-off of the “One Nigeria Project” initiated by the National Association of Former Elected Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria, held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.
“Local government remains the starting point for any development. If we have to secure our land, it has to be from the local government; if we have to bring development, it has to be from the local government; if we have to advance agriculture or anything else, it has to begin from the local government,” Ortom noted.
Reacting to the recent Supreme Court judgment that granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government, Chief Ortom insisted that, as far as he is concerned, the Supreme Court has affirmed autonomy for local governments. He stressed that the Federal Government has consistently remitted funds directly to the local governments, funds sufficient to drive meaningful development, and called on the 36 state governors to ensure that money meant for the councils gets to them without interference.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the One Nigeria Project and former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abduraziz Yari, urged Nigerians to embrace peace, noting that the problems confronting the country can only be solved by Nigerians themselves and not by foreigners.
Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, commended the initiators of the One Nigeria Project, saying the initiative has come at the right time.
Earlier, the National Chairman of NALGON Emeritus, Barr. Shabba Ibrahim, said the One Nigeria Project has become a child of necessity after recognizing the crucial importance of unity at this critical time in the nation’s history, when national interest is increasingly being undermined by divisive politics, religious differences, and cultural sentiments, while the spirit of unity and oneness continues to be relegated to the background.