19th December, 2014
Jethro Ibileke/Asaba
Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has called for the removal of payment of teachers’ salaries from the local government councils as a way to increase their revenue allocations from the Federation Account and to reduce their financial burden.
Uduaghan who stated this while declaring open a two-day orientation workshop for newly sworn-in local government chairmen, vice-chairmen, secretaries, heads of personnel management and treasurers of the local government councils in the state, suggested that for local government councils to survive they must be engaged in revenue drive to shore up their funds, especially with the fall in the price of oil which has affected the revenue of the Federation Account.
“I am a very strong advocate of removing the salaries of primary school teachers from local governments because; over sixty per cent of Local Government Councils’ revenue is spent on the payment of teachers’ salaries.
“You have to pay staff salaries which gulp over 30 per cent and you are left with less than 5 per cent for other developmental projects and for us to hold local government councils accountable and to ensure that this system of government that is closest to the grassroots works, there has to be more money available to them through increased allocation from the Federation Account,” he said.
According to him, a situation whereby salaries of primary school teachers gulp more than 60 per cent of revenues accruing to the local government, leave the councils with little or nothing for development purposes, after payment of local government staff salaries.
The governor, who called for urgent and pragmatic steps that would reposition the local government system in the country for effective service delivery at the grassroots level, urged that the Delta Beyond Oil initiative of his administration should be imbibed by all the councils to enable them rely less on allocations from the Federal Government.
He however expressed faith in the ability of local governments to fulfil their roles if provided with the enabling legal and institutional framework to operate.
Dr. Uduaghan explained that the seminar was to prepare the council administrators to face the reality and challenges of governing the third tier of government and urged the participants to ensure harmonious relationship at the local government levels, stressing the need for harmony among elected officials on the one hand and harmony between them and civil servants at the councils.
“The local government can only succeed if there is harmony because, sometimes, we have challenges when there is no harmony. Also, you should concentrate on security and sanitation issues in your local government areas, when your area is secured, the state is secured, if your local government is clean, the state is clean. Hold regular security council meetings with security agencies, and stakeholders, especially, leaders of cattle rearers,” he said.
In their separate remarks, the State Commissioner for Local Government, Dr Ben Iweze and the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Comrade Olumami Oyibo, who was represented by Mr. Paul Uwechue, expressed the hope that the seminar will give the participants the needed knowledge to discharge their duties and enhance service delivery to the people.