Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, says the benefits accruing from the local government reforms introduced by the Governor Douye Diri administration, will surpass the expectations of the people of the state.
Ewhrudjakpo made the assertion, while addressing the chairman and the 15 elected councillors of Yenagoa Local Government Area, at a meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, over the weekend.
A statement by his media aide, Mr. Doubara Atasi, quoted the deputy governor as saying that the local government reforms had already changed the narrative of the councils in a positive light in several areas.
The deputy governor noted that at the inception of the present administration in 2020, almost all the local government councils were in dire straits, and were finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations, such as the payment of workers’salaries.
He however, said all that is now history, as the councils currently pay their workers as and when due, as well as embark on reasonable people-oriented projects at the grassroots level due to the fiscal responsibility measures introduced by the state government.
The deputy governor, who is directly responsible for supervising the councils, assured that the state government would continue to support them, describing local councils and rural development authorities as veritable platforms for distributing the dividends of good governance.
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Responding to the demands of the councillors, which included furniture allowance, Ewhrudjakpo urged all councillors in the state to be patient, and work in harmony with their respective chairmen to meet their needs.
Citing the car allowance and other inuring benefits already released to them, he enjoined the councillors to show understanding, as the monthly allocations accruing to councils are not meant for them, and the workers alone, but also for the provision of basic amenities.
He used the opportunity to thank stakeholders of the local government system, including the various labour unions for cooperating with government to achieve the computerized payment system for local government workers in the state.
Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bulodisiye Ndiwari, expressed gratitude to the deputy governor for his proactive approach to governance, as well as introducing the oracle mode of payment of workers, which had commenced smoothly from last month.
Earlier, the Leader of the Yenagoa Legislative Council, Mr. Gift Disin, had requested the deputy governor to prevail on the chairman to pay the councillors representing the 15 wards in Yenagoa their furniture, and other outstanding allowances, and pledged their continued loyalty to the state government.
