Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has given reasons to the appointment of no fewer than 717 Ward Special Assistants across the state.
Governor Ododo said the move was to deepen democracy and ensure participatory governance at the grassroots.
The governor, through the Commissioner of information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo while briefing newsmen in Lokoja also expressed determination to give power to the people by appointing the Special Assistants who are very close to the people in the rural communities.
“The Governor is determined to ensure grassroots participation in governance. He doesn’t want to be detached from the hopes and aspirations of the grassroots. We have learnt from past experiences and we should be able to put those lessons to use.
“In the past, many of the Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants that were appointed live in the state capital and did not relate with the grassroots people. There was a gap between the pulse at the grassroots and the impression of the Government. But with this novel appointment strategy, the people at the grassroots are already jubilating over the commendable inclusive governance.
“Those appointed are those who sleep and wake up in those Wards. They don’t live outside of their Wards and they will be the foot soldiers of the Government in achieving the Consolidation Agenda of the Ododo Administration”.
Fanwo also explained that the high number doesn’t translate to high cost of governance as the salaries of three Ward Special Assistants amounted to what one Senior Special Assistant would have earned. “What the Governor did was to share one SSA salary to three WSA, meaning that the cost of governance is not increased as a result of the high number of WSA.
“Now we have at least three State Government Officials in each of the 239 Wards with significantly reduced salaries and allowances. This is smart governance. The Governor has been silently reducing the cost of governance as a shrewd manager of resources”.
The Information Commissioner therefore appealed to the people of Kogi State to take the opportunity presented by the appointment of WSAs to ensure adequate feedback and supervision of government projects, programs and policies.
“The Ododo Administration is building on the inherited legacies of the past administration as it relates to grassroots empowerment. Many projects are currently ongoing in many rural communities and more will benefit from the second phase. What our Government is preaching is that if we want to prosper in agriculture, we must make our people enjoy staying in the rural areas where there is more access to the basic social amenities”
