Lere agog over unprecedented people-oriented projects

Council Chairman(middle), flanked by dignitaries at the event

No fewer than 108 projects and programs in the Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna state are currently at 98% completion stages, a development citizens of the area attribute to the Council Chairman's determination and desire to put the people first, no matter whose ox is gored.

Chairman of the council, Alhaji Abubakar Buba, who dropped the hint at the 2019 Quarterly Budget Performance Review town hall meeting with stakeholders in Saminaka, Kaduna state, commended the Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai for aggressively creating the desired environment for societal growth - by initiating strategic and people-focused governance reforms at both state and local government levels.

"Upon my assumption of office one year ago, we immediately keyed into the governance reform initiatives of the state government which were all geared towards putting the people first. We met on ground various far reaching ongoing reforms that were designed to strengthen proper planning, budgeting, transparency, accountability, citizens' engagement and quality service delivery, particularly taking governance closer to the people", the chairman explained, pointing out that leveraging on the state's dynamic reforms, it was easy to establish a working relationship with civil society groups in the local government.

"Together we pioneered the institutionalization of the principles of Open Government Partnership(OGP) as Local Government Council in the state. We were the first to inaugurate the Technical Working Group(TWG), made up of equal number of government and civil society partners, establishing desk offices all communities under our jurisdiction", Buba revealed.

While tracing the progress made so far to the coming of the Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability(LFTAS) initiative, the chairman called on the civil society to continue to support the programs of his council in meeting all the indicators of LFTAS for greater good of the good people of Lere.

Surprisingly enough, a leading member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and an indigene of the Local Government Area, Hon Munirat Suleiman Tanimu graced the occasion and threw her weight behind the chairman for what she called a new trend in Lere Local Government Council under Hon Abubakar Buba. Tanimu, a former House Representatives aspirant, called on the people of Lere to put party differences aside and support the people-oriented developmental programs of the chairman.

On his part, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, erstwhile Director-General media to a former governor of Kaduna state, who also graced the quarterly review, expressed his delight this way: "citizens' engagement at the local government level is redefining governance" . He commended Lere LG, for blazing the trail in engaging citizens in budget review.

Highlight of the event was the interactive feedback from stakeholders and citizens which scored the council high on transparency and accountability.

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