ALGON Seeks Four-Year Tenure for Local Government Officials

• ALGON President Aminu Muazu-Maifata advocates for a unified four-year tenure for local government officials to ensure quality governance
• Muazu-Maifata urges increased allocations for 774 local governments to afford the proposed N62,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government

The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has called for a unified four-year tenure for elected local government officials nationwide. Alhaji Aminu Muazu-Maifata, the National President of ALGON, made this appeal during an interview with newsmen on Monday in Lafia.

Muazu-Maifata emphasized that a standardized four-year tenure would promote good governance and ensure quality representation at the grassroots level. He urged the National Assembly to amend the nation’s constitution to unify the tenure of local government officials.

“The tenure of local government officials should be made four years to enable us to deliver on our campaign promises to the electorate,” Muazu-Maifata stated. He expressed concern that in some states, the tenure is as short as one or two years, which he argued is insufficient for officials to govern effectively.

Regarding the federal government’s proposed N62,000 minimum wage, Muazu-Maifata called for an increase in the monthly allocations for the 774 local government areas in the country. He explained that this would enable local councils to afford the new minimum wage when it becomes law.

Muazu-Maifata, who also serves as the Chairman of Lafia Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, praised Governor Abdullahi Sule for granting autonomy to local councils in the state. He encouraged other governors to follow Sule’s example to foster overall development, particularly at the grassroots level.

Addressing the security situation in Lafia, Muazu-Maifata explained that the partial curfew was imposed as a measure to combat the rising incidents of kidnapping and other crimes. “We restricted the movement of motorcycles between 6 pm and 6 am and tricycles between 8 pm and 6 am because security reports indicate that criminal gangs use these means of transportation to perpetrate crimes during the restricted hours,” he said.

He noted that the security situation in Lafia has improved and assured that better strategies would be implemented to ensure the safety of lives and property.