… Passes electricity bill into law…
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has approved three years of tenure for elected Local Government Chairmen and Councilors in the State.
The House also detached the Ministry for Local Government, Local Government Service Commission and Local Government Pension Board from the affairs of Local Government Areas in the State, while the 18 Development Areas were replaced as Area Administrative Councils to be headed by Area Administrators instead of Overseers.
The Legislature also approved Area Administrators and Four other members each for the 18 Area Administrative Councils will be appointed by the Governor with the approval of the State House of Assembly.
The Speaker, Danladi Jarau, stated this when the House deliberated and adopted the report of the House Standing Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs on A Bill for a Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Establishment, Structure, Composition, Finance, and Function of Local Government System in Nasarawa State 2024B and Other Matters Connected Thereto during the House proceedings yesterday in Lafia.
He therefore, slated tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct 30 for the third reading and passage of the bill into law.
The Speaker said that the bill is apt, especially now that the federal government is making efforts to see that the Local Government Areas achieve full autonomy and in Nasarawa State LG election is just around the corner.
” The law if passed and assented to, the state shall contribute 20 per cent as grants to the Area Administrative Council Development Account for the purpose of Rural Infrastructural development.
” And each Local Government may make contributions in the form of grants or counterpart funding to the Area Administrative Councils for the purpose of Infrastructural development for the Area Administrative Councils.
” There shall be a Department in each Local Government and Area Development Council to be known as Traditional Remittance Allocation Fund(TERAF) into which all remittance and disbursement shall be made directly to Traditional Councils.
” There shall be no deduction or charges in whatever form or name in the TERAF, he said.
The Speaker commended the committee for a good job and appreciated lawmakers for their positive contributions on the bill.
Earlier, Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, the Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs while presenting the report said that the bill if finally passed would promote grassroots development.
In all he presented 20 recommendations in the report of the bill where the House stepped down two of the recommendations by off the State LG Service Commission from the affairs of the LGAs completely.
And approved that the appointment of Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Council shall be made by the Director of Personnel Management (DPM) and forwarded to the Executive Chairman for approval and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk must have cognate experience in legislative practice and procedure.
” And shall be officers not below grade level 12 in case of the Clerk and grade level 10 in case of Deputy Clerk,” he said.
“The bill also recommended that there shall be a monthly or quarterly meeting of the Area Administrative Council Management Committee to be called (ACAC)
” Administrative Council Account Committee will be responsible for the purpose of distribution of funds meant for Rural Development” he said.
He said that there shall be an established State Economic Council to be held once every month to discuss the economic status of the State to be chaired by the State Deputy Governor.
Earlier, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Abel Yakubu Bala, moved a motion for the adoption of the committee’s report. The motion was the Minority Leader of the House, Luke Zhekaba.