The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 Kogi State gubernatorial election, Dino Melaye, has promised to grant full financial autonomy to local government councils in the state, if elected.
He also promised to reform the state civil service.
He stated this on Friday while receiving the party’s policy document from the Policy Drafting Committee headed by Sam Amadi.
Other notable members of the committee are Olugbemiro Jegede, Victor Adoji, Natasha Akpoti, Musa Ahmadu, Olusiji Aina, Rotimi Ajayi, Safiya Ajayi, Dan Oguns and Justina Abaneda.
“I promise to grant financial autonomy to local governments.
“Ten years ago, local government areas in Kogi State were undertaking rural roads and projects. Today, no local government in Kogi can dig a well.”
“The local government does not have vehicles; no salaries are paid. Some local government departments are under lockdown. But we are saying that a new day is coming,” Melaye said.
He described as dismal the working conditions of civil servants in Kogi State under the current administration, where, he said, they receive stipends instead of salaries.
“At present, Kogi is the only state where a permanent secretary brings Okada to office.
“Today in Kogi, a level 16 officer receives 18,000 naira as salary,
“Today in Kogi there is no middle class. It’s just the rich and the poor. Those in government are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
“Public administration in Kogi State will be reformed and we will pay salaries on the 25th of every month. We will also pay full salary,” he stated.
Dino Melaye renewing the Kogi economy
Melaye lamented what he said was the decay, poverty, corruption and satanic manifestations in the state.
He said that, if elected, his administration would have a lot of work to do because “the state has been bastardized, the economy is in ruins, hospitals are mere consultation clinics and there are no roads in the interior.”
The PDP candidate said the state will be freed from depending on federal allocations for developments as he had brought some people from the Netherlands to study the surface mineral deposit in the confluence state which will bring human development and of capital.
“I brought people from outside Nigeria, who did scientific research and gave me the mineral resources of Kogi; We have 52 mineral resources, but only one has been exploited: limestone. The rest is just there; we have uranium. We have the largest uranium deposit in Nigeria.
“When elected, he would use the monthly federal allocation for the payment of civilian salaries, pensions, perquisites, promotions, training and retraining, while internally generated revenue would be used for development projects. We are going to increase income without taxing the poor,” he stated.
Melaye said the state has continued to witness unending insecurity, where many people have gone missing, including the Okene Chairman of the PDP who has been missing for over four years without a trace.
Why did I create a committee?
He explained that he constituted the committee to provide intellectual and practical solutions to the endemic problems of the state.
“I congratulate the drafting committee for doing a good job: no other party is talking about political documents apart from the PDP.
“I have examined this document, I have read it, not only is it solid, but it is also a book of solutions and an answer to my prayers,” Melaye said.
Presenting the document, Amadi, former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), said the document contains practical solutions when implemented.
He said the document has done justice to various sectors including education, agriculture, local government administration, technology, communications, tourism and others in line with the mandate given to them by the PDP candidate.
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“The committee recommended that there should be an Independent Kogi Economic Development Commission.”
“When Melaye becomes governor, we insist that the people who will constitute that committee must be honest and have influence on the activities of the governor.
“The commission should be independent; You have to have people with pedigree and integrity so that when something goes wrong, they bring it back,” he said.