The Local Government election has come and gone in Edo State and the elected helmsmen have since been sworn-in according to the enabling laws. During the electioneering, the current chairmen made several promises to their constituents. And they have since settled down to work.
However, as they settle down to work, it is important to remind the chairmen that the local government is the closest tier of government to the grassroots people who are in most need of government’s attention.
It is equally noteworthy that the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is a man of his own words and integrity who had informed the chairmen during their inauguration that some N2.1 billion was waiting for their use to kick-start their administration.

Only last week, the Edo State Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC), declared N2.8 billion as total allocation whichaccrued to the 18 local government councils from the Federation Account for the month of February.
Chairman of the Owan West Local Government Area, Hon. Frank Ilaboya, at the end of the first JAAC meeting attended by the newly elected council chairmen and presided over by Governor Obaseki, said, “The total receipt for the month of February shared in March is N2, 882,200,775.85. Salaries for teachers are N1, 129,882,051.95; deduction for pension is N254, 778,771.98; while the mandatory deduction is N1, 583, 714, 385.70. The total distributable fund shared by the 18 local government councils is N1, 284,075,386.28.”

It means that funds are available for the new council helmsmen to join Governor Obaseki to develop the state. The new council chairmen should focus on provision of potable water and sanitation to ensure that Edo State is leading in the meeting of the Sustainable Development (SDG) (6) which is exclusively for water and sanitation. The chairmen should not only provide water boreholes, they should also ensure that the water is regularly treated with chlorine to avoid people taking unwholesome water. It is also to eliminate water borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera from Edo State.
The new council chairmen should ensure that teachers and other workers in their council areas get their salaries as and when due. They should also ensure that the issues of pensioners and pension arrears in their various councils are dispassionately considered and cleared to ensure that the new government Pension Scheme cascades to the Local Government Councils.
Also, the issue of Markets should be looked into. Stalls should be allocated to only genuine market women, men and youth and not to VIPs who are not marketers only to go and be sub-letting such stalls to the marketers at exorbitant rates.

The Council Chairmen should also construct feeder roads and even asphalt some, where possible to enable the evacuation of farm produce from the rural parts of the state to the urban parts. In the same vein, they should also look at agricultural development by ensuring that farmers have access to inputs timely. Such inputs should include farmlands, fertilizers, seeds, fingerlings, day-old chicks, credit facilities and extension services among others. They should also build silos and other storage facilities in farming communities to help farmers preserve their produce. This will not help boost food production, but would also create employment for the teeming unemployed in the state.
The Chairmen should also look at rural electrification programmes. They should help connect communities to the national grid where and when possible and provide transformers and other supplies to communities that need such to have access. This will also go a long way in the storage of perishable farm produce such as tomatoes and vegetables.

The Governor Godwin Obaseki administration has great desire to improve primary health care delivery in the state. The target is to ensure that all health centres in the state are made functional and operating optimally. The new council chairmen should ensure that they key into this plan. The health centres in all communities should ensure that the Primary Health Centres are well equipped with drugs and basic health equipment to deal with simple and common health needs of our people. Most importantly, they should help to decongest the burden at both the secondary and tertiary health institutions in the state. They should help to drastically reduce maternal and under-five mortality rates in the state.
Much more, as Edo State Governor is busy attracting foreign investors to the state, a lot of industries are already being established. The new Council chairmen should ensure they join the governor in providing an enabling environment for industries to flourish in the state. In the same token, it is important that the chairmen ensure that the rights and privileges of host communities are protected. One way of doing this is to ensure that the host communities enjoy companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Last week, Governor Godwin Obaseki, called on companies in the State to ensure that their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects impact on the lives of Edo people, noting that improvement of livelihoods should be at the heart of such projects.
Obaseki said this when he commissioned a block of six classrooms and two offices constructed by Nigerian Breweries Plc. in the Oba of Benin’s Palace in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Represented by the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, Obaseki lauded the Nigerian Breweries for its CSR initiatives in the education sector. Council chairmen should ensure that no company operating in their domain are involved in environmental degradation by way of pollution of air and water sources.
Also, from day one of the coronation of Oba of Benin, OmoN’ObaN’EdoUkuAkpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, he declared a ban of Community Development Associations (CDAs) that have constituted nuisance in the state. The State Government keyed into this and today there is a law backing this ban. The council Chairmen must share intelligence among security operatives and the task force set up by the state government to ensure that this menace is permanently wiped out in the state.
Also, the Oba of Benin recently cursed all those bringing shame to Edo State through human traffickers and cultists. The State Government is promulgating a law to ban human trafficking in the state. The new Chairmen should key into this lofty initiatives by ensuring that human traffickers and cultist do not perpetrate and perpetuate the illegal trade in their domains.

It is important to remind the new council chairmen that next year is year of election in Nigeria. Already, the political gladiators have been meeting and planning. There are alignments and re-alignment of political forces. It is important that the new council chairmen be on their watch to ensure that the All Progressives Congress, APC maintains its winning streak in the state. One way of doing this is to ensure that they hit the ground running with development projects. They must connect with the 182 Special Assistants appointed by Governor Godwin Obaseki to deliver projects in all wards of their council areas before next election to convince the people that APC is a people -centred party which has a manifesto that caters for their daily needs.

Secondly, it is the duty of the new council chairmen to ensure that the enemies of the state are not given an inch to rear their heads again in the state. Affliction must not arise again in the state. The Peoples Democratic Party years of holocaust must not be allowed in Edo State again. It is the responsibility of the new council chairmen to ensure that those who looted the treasury of Nigeria and those who impoverished millions of our people are not allowed any inch in their council areas.

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Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.