Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has admonished the new local government chairmen to foster an enabling environment for security, economic growth and innovative programmes at the grassroots.
Sanwo-Olu spoke at the opening of a three-day induction retreat for chairmen of the 57 local governments and local council development areas. It was themed “Engendering Peace, Security and Development at the Grassroots”. He urged them to think out of the box.
The governor urged the chairmen to prioritize their responsibility of service to the people, saying ‘you have to write your names in gold as you work with your people’.
He said: “As local government chief executives, you have important responsibilities as security officers in your domains, serving as an early-warning security system for law enforcement and security agencies, and for the state government.
“You must have your eyes and ears to the ground, working closely with local and traditional institutions, market, transport and artisan unions, youth groups, and religious organisations to defuse those seemingly minor tensions that have the tendency to blow up into unmanageable situations.”
Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs Wale Ahmed said the retreat’s theme was carefully chosen to address some very important discourse, including Administrative Guidelines for Local Governments; Due Diligence on Project Procedure and Implementation in councils on Chieftaincy Matters; Drainage, Waste Management and Sanitation as it relates to councils and Effective Communication and Strategic Public Relations Skills.
He said: “Having just emerged as the choices of the electorate, this retreat underscores the need to ensure that chairmen of the 57 council of our state grasp policies that would help stimulate socio-economic development at the grassroots, and also engender the dream of making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.
“I hail Governor Sanwo-Olu for graciously acceding to the actualisation of this retreat. There is no doubt that with the implementation of the policies and ideas that will be discussed here, Lagos State will continue on the pathway of a progressive, notable and even development that will affect every of its fibre.”
Chairman of Bariga LCDA Alabi David, who spoke for his colleagues, promised that they will perform well and work to make the All Progressives Congress (APC) proud.
