Moses Adagbabiri, former Director of Personnel Management, Burutu Local Government Council Area of Delta State, has worked in over 10 local government areas across the three senatorial districts of the state before he retired about a year ago after 35 years of meritorious service. He holds a doctorate degree in public administration. In this interview with Special Correspondent Sam Akadoro, Adagbabiri speaks on local government autonomy, the achievements of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, how Burutu local government can survive without monthly allocations among other issues. Excerpts:
Just before you retired, you were the DPM and in charge of Burutu Local Council. How far did you go with development projects you embarked upon before you retired?
As I said before, we did a lot. We also constructed a large modern market in Kiagbodo, it has been roofed and provided with borehole to supply potable water.
Though not fully completed but they were already making use of it before I left. We also renovated some markets in other areas of the council.
The administration of the Local Government under me also completed the Bikorogha Health Centre as well as the completion of the fencing of HPM’s quarters and the painting of the fence. We also roofed the Burutu Health Centre and completed the inter-locking work of the Secretariat complex.
Beside purchasing computers and photocopiers for the council, we also embarked on and completed the electrification of the Secretariat complex as well as the rehabilitation of the Kiagbodo electricity. Others included the establishment of the Artisanal fish project which I have mentioned before, the construction of the Seaside Pavilion, the construction of new modern toilets in Burutu and the purchase of an 18-seater bus for NULGE.
One of my star projects was this Artisanal Fish Project. The project was to empower youths in the local government area. The concept was to create employment for the youths in line with the three-point agenda of the governor. It was designed to take them from the street and get them engaged so that they don’t continue to constitute nuisance. And when it started, a lot of our boys who were former militants were engaged in it to bring about peace.
What is the concept like?
We acquired five big fishing boats fitted with outboard Yamaha engine and fishing nets on each. Each boat was to accommodate 14 boys and they were sailing into the sea to catch fishes. Few months after the project was commissioned, the boys were making good catches and were happy with it. The arrangement was that the boys would go into the sea for fishing and whatever catch they made at the end of the day, a small portion of it was removed and given to them as welfare. The remaining portion was sold and 40 percent of the amount realized went to the boys as allowance while the balance went into the Council’s Agriculture fund. So, you can see that the project actually created employment for about 72 youths in Burutu apart from the fact that it became a source of internally generated revenue.
It was indeed a novel project which the state Ministry of Agriculture wanted to key into. In fact they wanted me to come and give them details of the project but my retirement came and I had to leave. However, I briefed my succesor on the project, though I understand that as we speak, all the boats have been privatized and given to individuals. We also gathered that they chose to pay the boys money from the council, and of course, they became lazy. So, I don’t know what happened thereafter but that was not the concept.
What then was the main idea?
The concept was to pull the boys off the streets and engage them meaningfully, and they were happy with it. Our idea was to eventually form and register them into cooperative societies. At that point, the council could pull out and leave them to run it themselves.
But the caretaker thing came and I handed over. Of equal importance during my time was the peace that prevailed across the entire local government area in line with the peace agenda of the governor. I remember one incident when Tuomor Community engulfed in internal crisis of community leadership. I quickly made a recommendation to the governor for the installation of a caretaker committee which he graciously approved and we dissolved the executive and installed a caretaker committee in place and that marked the return of permanent peace to Tuomor.
But weren’t the security agencies there, or they were not doing their jobs?
Generally, during my time, the JTF and the police were the instrument for keeping the peace in the entire local government area. They were everywhere along the waterways to keep them safe. So, the support of the Army and the police also created enduring peace in Burutu during my time. I remain grateful to them.
We learnt that finally, the Delta State government is about to conduct the much-awaited local government election in July. Were you concerned about the delay in conducting this election?
I think the state government is taking its time, it doesn’t want to rush. It wants to make sure that it puts one or two things together before coming out. I don’t see anything wrong in that. When the government decides to hold the election, people will then come out.
Sometime ago you were emphasizing the putting of round pegs in round holes in Burutu Local Government Area. Can you expatiate on that?
About leadership in the Local Government Councils in general, not only in Burutu. I have discovered that round pegs have not been put in round holes in the local government system. In Burutu for instance, apart from when Elder Godsday Orubebe, the immediate past Minister for Niger Delta Affairs and Dr. Bradruce Angozie who were chairmen at various times, there have not been people with the right capacity and experience in the council. These two really put in their best and their legacies are still there in the council up till today. Apart from those two former council chairmen, Burutu has not really witnessed any serious-minded Local Government chairmen again. And that is why I keep on emphasizing that this time around, round pegs should be put in round holes otherwise. If we keep putting in people who have no knowledge and experience in governance, we will keep getting the same result. People keep complaining about corruption, but I say that if the right person is there as the chairman, he will be thinking about projects, infrastructure and development of the area and there would be no question of corruption. Like myself, what do I really need again, if I’m going to the council, it is strictly for service because
I have already gotten the experience. We want people who can identify the need of the people and start working towards addressing them. But if you put someone who is a neophyte, he will just go there, every month he shares allocation and goes to his house to rest. We have gone beyond that. Our people should be able to ask, what have you done with our money?
So you feel the people should work at having credible leaders who should also be able to account for their stewardship?
Burutu is a very large Local Government Area and the need of the people are very many and diverse. One should be able to identify them and work toward providing them for the benefit of the people. So, we need someone who knows the plight of the people and who has the requisite qualification, capacity and experience. You cannot put a school certificate holder as a chairman of the local government. Even if you have your first degree, what are your pedigrees, what are your cognate experience? In other parts of the country, especially in the South West, it is those people who are retired permanent secretaries, retired civil servants that are allowed to be chairmen of Local Government Councils because they have the experience of governance.
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