Namadi storms council secretariats, finds virtually all chairmen and top officials AWOL, vows sanctions
Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi has read the riot act to local government chairmen after a dramatic unscheduled inspection of council secretariats exposed a culture of absenteeism — with virtually all chairmen and senior officials found absent from their duty posts.
The governor, who had explicitly warned against truancy during the swearing-in of the 27 LG chairmen in 2024, embarked on the surprise tour of Kiyawa, Jahun, Miga, Kafin Hausa, Auyo, and Hadejia local government areas on Tuesday — only to be greeted by empty offices.
“Who Will Attend to Official Duties?”
Addressing journalists after the humiliating discovery, a visibly displeased Namadi fired a salvo at the errant officials:
“If leaders are not in office, who will attend to official duties? Council chairmen are the engine room of local government administration, and governance at the third tier will remain paralysed if they fail to show up regularly in their offices.”
Councils Cannot Be Run by Proxy
The governor insisted that local governments — being the closest tier of government to the grassroots — must be administered from the ground, not from outside.
“The chairmen must remain on ground and listen to the demands of the people for necessary action. From there, we expect to know challenges that are beyond the councils’ capacity.”
He further questioned: “So, if chairmen are always absent, how can they discharge the responsibilities placed on their shoulders by the teeming electorates?”
“We Will Not Tolerate This!” — Namadi Warns
Declaring zero tolerance for the “undemocratic behavior,” Namadi vowed:
· All 27 council chairmen will be summoned to a meeting
· A fresh riot act will be read against unnecessary travels outside their LGAs
· Sanctions will follow for any chairman found culpable
Backstory: A Warning Ignored
Governor Namadi had explicitly cautioned the chairmen during their 2024 swearing-in against absenteeism and administering councils from outside. The latest discovery suggests his earlier warning fell on deaf ears — a defiance he has now vowed to crush decisively.
