National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged local government chairmen elected on the party’s platform to take the lead in tackling multidimensional poverty by improving access to basic services in their communities.
Yilwatda made the call on Wednesday while receiving members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen Forum at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
The delegation was led by the Executive Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State and Chairman of the forum, Hon. Mustapha Jibril Alheri.
ALSO READ: Delta APC slams Omo-Agege, denies claim linking party to violence
Addressing the council chairmen, the APC chairman said local governments now have greater financial resources to meet the needs of their people and should prioritise interventions that improve access to education, healthcare, water and sanitation.
“It is time for people like you to demonstrate the capacity of government through your work,” he said.
“If we talk about poverty, it can only be eradicated by you because every day we discuss multidimensional poverty. Multidimensional poverty is about access—access to water, access to health, access to education and access to infrastructure.”
Yilwatda noted that primary education falls under the responsibility of local governments, stressing that the Federal Government does not run primary schools.
“The federal government doesn’t have primary schools. You have them. The federal government doesn’t even have land to dig a borehole. You have it. So, water is under you. Provide access to water in your communities.
“Provide access to health in your communities. Provide access to sanitation in your communities. You also have councillors supervising these sectors in your local governments. Ensure you prioritise them so that we can reduce multidimensional poverty in your local governments. You hold the key.”
He added that local government chairmen should be held accountable for the level of access to essential services in their communities.
“So, if they say there is multidimensional poverty in your local government, you are responsible because it is you who provides access to education, access to water, access to sanitation and access to health. It is your work.
“So, let APC lead from the front in providing access to all these amenities that will reduce multidimensional poverty in our communities,” he said.
Responding to the forum’s request for greater support ahead of the next general elections, Yilwatda assured the chairmen that the party would accord them priority because of their direct engagement with voters at the grassroots.
Earlier, Alheri said the forum was committed to mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, describing local government chairmen as the closest tier of government to the people.
He said the forum was established to promote the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration while strengthening grassroots support for the APC.
“We, the local government chairmen, have remained the closest tier of government to the people, and our leadership has always played a decisive role in election outcomes,” he said.
“The success of the APC in past elections, and especially in the forthcoming election, is going to be anchored on the strength of local government actors and community influencers who will translate national messages into local realities.”
Alheri said local government chairmen possess grassroots structures, community trust and local intelligence needed to mobilise support for the party.
He also commended President Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to strengthening local governments, saying greater autonomy and increased resources would ensure development reaches people at the grassroots.