Caretaker Committee Chairman of Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State, Mr Yohanna Nahari has recounted how his administration has been winning the fight against kidnappers in his area.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, Mr. Nahari said his people had faced devastating effects of the activities of the dreaded criminals in the past as the kidnappers strike once in every two to three days.
He said despite facing some challenges in overseeing the largely agrarian populace of the area, especially in the aspect of insecurity, his work had been made a lot easier due to financial autonomy the LG chairmen in the state enjoy, courtesy the State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya.
According to him, “Boundary clashes have been very minimal even though we share direct boundary with Taraba and Bauchi States and indirectly with Adamawa and Plateau States. However, what has bedevilled us in the past was the issue of kidnapping.
“It has been the problem because we are an area that has so many hills and mountains which become a good hiding place for the hoodlums.
But by the help of God and our Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, collectively, we put in our best to see that we reduce the acts of the hoodlums.
“When I came on board, no day or two passed without the case of kidnapping. But with joint and collective efforts between the State Government, Local Governments and also the neighbouring Local Governments in the other states, we have reduced the menace of these kidnappings”, he stated happily.
Speaking on Local Government autonomy, Mr Nahari stated that in Gombe State, “It’s an issue that we in Gombe can say we are autonomous.
“What is autonomy? It is for you to be given the rights to your finances and my finances comes directly into my account. All that our Governor does is to make sure there is no misappropriation. He has to put his eyes and that is why we were able to pay our salaries.
“When we came, we were not able to pay salaries or even do some projects. But now, we are not owing salaries. I think that’s the best he could do for us as a governor. For us, we are autonomous”, he stressed.
He also argued that even though the constitution or the bill of the National Assembly does not indicate that they are autonomous, he however asserted by asking, “What autonomy do you need if your FAAC will come into your own treasury?
“But what is needed is to regulate you, to see that he (Governor) exercises his supervisory function upon you and that is good. That is what makes the the LGA’s moving alive now”, he reiterated.
Mr. Yohanna Nahari, Caretaker Committee Chairman of Shongom Local Government Area, Gombe State.
