By Daniel Tyokua
The Forum for Local Government Heads of Administration in Nigeria, has urged President Bola Tinubu to harmonise the condition of service for 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
President of the forum, Abdulrahaman Marafa made the appeal during a meeting of the executives on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the present administration led by Tinubu should resolve the discrepancies in the salary structure, designation and condition of service for heads of Local Government Administration.
“There is every need for uniformity in salary and designation, in some states it is Director Personnel Management, Head of Administration, Director Administration, which ought to be same all over.
“The salaries too are not the same, which is not good. What is obtainable in state ‘A’ should be same in state B and C, there should be the same salary structure in all the 774 local governments in the country, including condition of service.
“We are appealing to the government as a matter of policy to harmonize the structure of the forum in all the local governments”
Marafa, who is also the head of local government administration, Batagarawa Local Government in Katsina state, explained that as the third tier of government, LGs should be given the desired treatment.
“We are appealing to the current administration led by president Bola Tinubu to consider local governments as the third tier of government, the heads of local government administration serve as an engine room where programmes and polices emanating are descended to departments in local government and down to the grassroot, there is need for uniformity”
He said the meeting was in line with the constitution, which stated that quarterly the forum should converge in an agreed place to discuss issues bothering on the welfare of the local governments, and chart a new path for the development of rural areas.
On his part, One of the participants and head of administration Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Attahiru Ibrahim Yakubu, said the FCT Area Councils are in support of the forum’s position.
“We in FCT are in support of the demand, and will support what the forum believes in”.
