Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said that his administration will continue to grant financial autonomy to the 23 Local Government Areas of the state for developmental purposes.

The governor stated this when he played host to the 23 council chairmen on a courtesy visit at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, the state capital on Monday.

Sani urged the council chairmen to eschew political, religious, or tribal sentiments in their dealings with the people.

He noted that local government remained the most important tier of government because “it is the closest to the people” while calling on the local governments for support in building sustainable peace.

This, he said, would enable the people to overcome the challenges foisted upon them by the crises as well as the insecurity that would come to pass soon in the state.

This was just as the governor said the administration would partner with local governments for joint projects on infrastructural development, noting however that “we need to know what project will benefit our people most.”

The governor said, “The local governments in Kaduna state have been enjoying financial autonomy in the past eight years and our administration shall continue with that.

“Local government chairmen should focus on developmental projects, the era of buying items and distributing them to the people is over.

“The era of politics is over, there should be no sentiments, no party, religious or ethnic differences in the projects. Safety and security are the major focus of our administration. We shall work closely with the local government administration to build trust with the people.

“Intelligence gathering will be used effectively. Our administration will prioritize the development of the rural areas by extending infrastructure to all local governments, especially the rural local governments.

“In executing the rural development programme, we shall adopt an inclusive approach where local government chairmen as key stakeholders will be carried along. Traditional rulers, faith-based organisations, and women organisations will also be involved.”

Earlier in his address the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in Kaduna State, Hon. Abubakar Buba said he and his colleagues were on a solidary visit while pledging their support to the governor.

Buba, who’s also the chairman of Lere LGA, requested on behalf of his colleagues, periodic citizen engagement to bring the people closer to the government.

“We would appreciate for us to have a quality meeting for us to be on the same page, for you to be abreast with what is happening at the local government level,” he said.