By Dahiru Suleiman, Dutse

The Local Government Development Plans (2025–2030) for the 27 local government areas of Jigawa State has been unveil by Governor Umar Namadi at the Govt House Dutse with a call on all the 27 LGA’S Chairmen’s, to adopt the documents as a  guide for their strategies, annual budgets, projects and programmes, while emphasising that their success would ultimately depend on faithful implementation and measurable results.

“I am pleased that considerable efforts have been put in to ensure that each of the 27 local government development plans is aligned with our administration’s 12-Point Agenda, the State Comprehensive Development Framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Also, very importantly, I am glad that they reflect the voices and aspirations of the citizens, considering the extensive consultations and community engagements that took place prior to technical reviews and final validation. I am confident these plans will not only sustain synergy between the state and local government development but also help establish linkages between the long-term vision of the respective LGAs and their annual budget.”

 “I therefore direct all local government councils to make these Development Plans the primary reference for their strategies, annual budgets, workplans, projects, and programmes. These plans must not be kept on shelves; they must be reference materials that guide decisions, resource allocation, monitoring, and accountability.”

The governor also called on development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders, community organisations and citizens to support implementation, saying that sustainable development requires collective responsibility and broad-based ownership

He commended the Honourable Commissioner and the staff of the Ministry for Local Government and Community Development, chairmen of the 27 local government councils, traditional institutions, community representatives, women and youth groups, civil society organisations and other stakeholders whose contributions made the exercise possible.

Governor Namadi emphasised that preparing the plans was only the first step, saying that their value would be determined by their implementation.

“Having come thus far, the true test of these plans will be commitment to their implementation. Success will be measured through the outputs and outcomes delivered over time through the effective implementation of the plans reflected in more effective service delivery, more impactful capital investments that respond to the yearnings and aspirations of citizens, and visible improvements in critical sectors and the overall wellbeing of our people.”

Speaking earlier, the commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Ibrahim Garba Hannun-Giwa, described the unveiling as another breakthrough in the administration’s commitment to strengthening accountable governance through evidence-based planning.

He said the development plans were produced through an extensive consultative process involving state ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations, women, youth, persons with disabilities, development partners and community representatives to ensure they reflected the development priorities of each Local Government Area.

The Commissioner noted that, for the first time in the state’s history, every Local Government Area now has a structured five-year development framework aligned with the Jigawa State Development Plan, national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking on behalf of the 27 local government chairmen, the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Jigawa State Chapter, who is also the chairman of Dutse Local Government Area, Dr Sibu Abdullahi, reaffirmed the commitment of all council chairmen to fully implement the plans by making them living documents that guide planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and performance across the 27 local government councils.