'Some Local Government Areas In Borno Exist Just In Name With No People' - Borno Speaker Calls Attention To Council Fraud

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Abdulkareem Lawan, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, says several Local Government Areas in the name exist just in name with no people occupying them, SaharaReporters reports.

Lawan, who opposed calls for the creation of additional states and local governments, spoke at the ongoing public hearing on the 1999 constitutional review held on Wednesday in Bauchi.

"Borno State is already devastated for now. We don't need additional states and local government councils because some councils bear names without people.

"So, there is no need for the creation of state and local governments out of the present Borno State," he said.

Lawan stressed that Borno was also not in need of state police because it already had the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), which effectively enhanced security in the state.

Towing similar submissions at the hearing, Saleh Samanja, the Yobe state Attorney General, advocated retaining the existing states and local councils' structure.

"We recommend that the existing number of states and local governments in the country be maintained and strengthened.

"Taking into consideration that even the existing ones are not adequately funded, to execute viable developmental projects, not to even talk of creating additional ones," he said.

Mr Samanja said Yobe State strongly opposed the establishment of state police as canvassed in some quarters, NAN reports.

"The state police can be abused for political reasons and create more insecurity; rather, measures should be put in place to encourage community policing under strict supervision," he said.

However, Sabiu Baba, Secretary to the Bauchi State Government (SSG), said the state was clamouring to create additional states and local councils.

He noted that some states with a much lower population and landmass than Bauchi already had more local government councils.

Baba said the state was, therefore, firmly in support of the creation of a state and other local governments out of the present Bauchi state.

The SSG said the state was also in support of the establishment of state police to reduce the over-dependence of the state governors on federal law enforcement agencies.