GOVERNOR CHARGES NEW COUNCIL BOSSES TO DELIVER FOR THE PEOPLE, SHUN CORRUPTION AND KEY INTO SHINE AGENDA
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has sworn in the 18 newly elected Local Government Area Chairmen of the state, charging them to make grassroots development, accountability and the welfare of residents their top priorities.
The swearing-in ceremony marks the beginning of a new phase in local government administration across Edo State, with the newly elected chairmen expected to take responsibility for driving development closer to the people.
Governor Okpebholo, while addressing the new council leaders, said their primary responsibility was to ensure that the people who entrusted them with leadership could feel the impact of government in their various communities.
He urged the chairmen to complement the programmes and projects of the state government rather than operate in isolation.
According to the Governor, the development of Edo cannot be achieved by the state government alone, stressing that the 18 local councils have a major role to play in improving the lives of residents at the grassroots.
Okpebholo also warned the new council bosses against corruption and urged them to lead with humility, integrity and accountability.
He said the people had given the chairmen an important responsibility and expected them to justify the confidence placed in them through meaningful service.
The Governor stressed that greater Local Government autonomy comes with greater responsibility, making it necessary for the new council administrations to manage public resources transparently and ensure that government funds are used for the benefit of the people.
He charged the chairmen to key into the SHINE Agenda of his administration and work closely with the state government towards building what he described as a more peaceful, prosperous and developed Edo State.
The Governor congratulated all 18 chairmen on their emergence and urged them to immediately focus on the needs of their respective councils.
He said local government administration should not be reduced to politics or the sharing of government resources, but must translate into visible development in communities.
The new council chairmen are now expected to confront some of the everyday challenges facing residents, including poor roads, sanitation, basic infrastructure, local economic development and other issues that directly affect people at the community level.
Okpebholo’s call for accountability also comes at a time when local government autonomy has become a major issue in Nigeria’s governance debate.
With councils expected to exercise greater control over their affairs, the performance of elected chairmen will increasingly be measured by what happens in the communities they govern.
For Edo residents, the swearing-in therefore represents more than a political ceremony. It places responsibility directly on the new council leadership to show what autonomous local government can achieve when public resources are properly managed.
The Governor made it clear that the new chairmen must work with the state government while still carrying out their constitutional responsibilities to the people at the grassroots.
He urged them to lead with humility and remember that political office is temporary, while the impact of their decisions can affect communities for many years.
The chairmen are expected to begin their respective administrations with a clear focus on service delivery and community development.
Governor Okpebholo’s message was direct: the people have entrusted them with leadership, and they must justify that trust.
As the 18 new council administrations begin work, attention will now shift from the swearing-in ceremony to performance.
Residents will be watching to see whether the promise of greater local government autonomy will result in better services, stronger accountability and visible development across Edo State.
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