Kwara Assembly okays gov’s request to suspend eight council chairmen

• Summons commissioner over health workers attitude
THE Kwara State House of Assembly (KSHA) yesterday granted the request of the State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to suspend eight out of the existing 16 Local Government Council chairmen in the state over allegations of reckless spending of resources and misconduct.

The suspension order slammed on the chairmen on the floor of the House in Ilorin may lead to outright impeachment if found guilty after their investigation by the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
The affected councils are: Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Baruten, Irepodun, Moro, Asa, Ilorin-South and Patigi.

According to the Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad, the legislative arm of government granted the request of the Governor due to the alleged severity of the allegations levelled against them, noting that after diligent investigations by the house relevant committee, the chairmen may be impeached.

While reading the resolutions of the House, the Speaker said the House has equally mandated its Committee to carry out its assignment within the next seven days effective from yesterday to investigate the allegation and report to the House.

In another development, the house adopted a motion moved by member representing Kaiama, Wajibe, Kemanji Constituency Hon. Ahmed ibn Mohammed, which directed the State Commissioner for Health and the hierarchy of the State Bureau of Health Management to appear before the House Committee on Health, Environment and Forestry to brief the House on their plan to address the non-challant attitude of health workers in the state to alleviate the sufferings of the sick and those in emergency situation.

Hon. Mohammed who moved the motion said among other things that the non-challant attitude of health personnel had led to avoidable death of the sick or victims of road carnages in the state.

The Speaker explained that it was unlawful for the Council Chairmen to carryout recruitment exercise without the approval of the State Local Government Service Commission.
He said the alleged misconduct was contrary to the provisions of the law and assured that the House would carry out thorough investigation to avoid miscarriage of justice.

Members had while contributing said the Governor under Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution has the power to suspend any chairman for any case of misconduct.

The Governor had in his letter to the House said the affected council Chairmen despite the daunting challenges of their inability to pay salaries of the existing staff in which his government had to resort to bank loans with high interest rates.

when the Federal Government’s bailout was not forthcoming still authorised recruitment exercise thereby exposing the State government to more ridicule and odium.

It was alleged that the chairmen employed only grade levels one-three officials “to fill vacancies created due to retirement, death and resignation.” But a source noted that many of the councils were as at the time of the recruitment owing their workers salaries in arrears of three months.

In another development, the House while considering the letter of the Governor on the proposed seven-year N20bn bond to be accessed by the State Government has insisted that it would still consult with their constituents on it before taking a decision stressing that the House would not be stampeded into taken a decision that would affect the wellbeing of the people of the State.

The legislators also resolved to felicitate with the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Saadu Kawu Haliru on his 40th coronation anniversary coming up on Saturday, describing his reign as era of peaceful coexistence that had witnessed monumental transformation as the bill on the Kwara State Waste Management Agency Bill 2015 was read for the first time at the floor of the House.