ALGON Proposes Four-Year Tenure For LG Officials

The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), has appealed to the National Assembly to consider extending the tenure of elected local government officials across the country.

Naija News reports that the National President of ALGON, Aminu Muazu-Maifata, made the call during a press briefing in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Monday.

According to Muazu-Maifata, a unified four-year term would enable the elected officials to deliver good governance and quality representation of the people at the grassroots level.

The ALGON leader stressed the need for lawmakers to consider his plea and amend the nation’s constitution to unify the tenure of local government officials across the country.

He expressed disappointment that in some states, the tenure of local government officials is limited to one or two years.

”So, I wonder how these officials will deliver good governance within such a short period,” Muazu-Maifata lamented.

Commenting on the N62,000 minimum wage proposed by the Federal Government, the ALGON boss called on the federal government to increase the monthly allocations of the 774 local government areas in the country.

He stressed that the move would enable the councils to pay the new minimum wage when it finally becomes a law.

Muazu-Maifata, who doubles as the Chairman of Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, however, commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for granting autonomy to all the councils in the state.

He urged other state governors to emulate their counterpart in Nasarawa toward the overall development of the country, particularly the grassroots.

Commenting on the security of Lafia, Muazu-Maifata explained that the partial curfew imposed in the locality was a measure to tackle the increasing rate of kidnapping and other crimes within the state capital.

“We restricted the movement of motorcycles between 6pm and 6:00am and tricycles between 8pm and 6am.

“This is because security reports have it that criminal gangs are using this means of transportation to perpetrate crimes and operate between the restricted hours,” he explained.

Muazu-Maifata said, however, that the security situation in Lafia has improved, adding that better strategies would be adopted for the safety of lives and property.