ALGON Holds 3 Day Workshop in Calabar, Urges Local Government Administrators to Show Capacity
By Missang AKPET
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has held a 3-day South-South Local Governments Workshop for local government administrators in Calabar.
The workshop, which held from April 14 to 16 at the Monty Suite Calabar, had as its theme, “Strengthening Local Governance for Sustainable Development in the South-South Region.”
Declaring the workshop open, the Acting Director-General of ALGON, Barr Evan Enekwe, said the local government is the third tier of governance created under Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Enekwe, who was represented by Mr. Venatius Okafor, disclosed that as administrators of the local government system, they are the true custodians of the constitutional renaissance for local government autonomy that was fought for.
He maintained that the long suffocation of the executive arm is beginning to give way for administration of self-determination, adding that as administrators of the local government system, they must be poised to act right with vigilance, transparency, innovation, and justice.
In a brief remark, the Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area and Chairman of all local government Chairmen forum in Cross River State, Hon. Yibala Inyang, urged the participants to see the workshop not only as a retraining exercise but an opportunity to interact and network with other colleagues from other states and local government areas.
The council boss revealed that the workshop was part of efforts by ALGON to engage the local government administrators in a training process that will boost their capacity and enrich their output.
Some participants of the workshop who spoke with BEAGLE NEWS said the knowledge gotten from the workshop is like a refresher for them, as the need for constant retraining cannot be overemphasized.
On local government autonomy, they maintained that it doesn’t end with the local government authorities celebrating autonomy but they must be poised to exhibit competence, vision, responsibility, and institutional readiness.
