The dreams of the people of Kurmi Local Government Area of Taraba state attracting the much desired dividends of democracy to their doorsteps when they came out en-mass to elect the incumbent chairman of the council, Hon. John Joseph Amamzalla , have no doubt turned out to be a mirage as the people have become mendicants in their land that is flowing with milk and honey.
The council which is both endowed with natural and human resources, as observed by our correspondent, have not only be milked by the chairman who derives pleasures in embarking in illegal business of deforestation, but have as failed to make use of funds that come into the coffers of the council monthly to herald development to the council.
Sad by these ugly trends, stakeholders from the area who are no longer comfortable with the way and manner the council boss have turned the local government into his personal empire are now threatening showdown if urgent measures are not put in place by the relevant authorities to checkmate the excesses of Amamzalla.
Some of the stakeholders who bared their minds to our correspondent on the condition of anonymous for fear of been attacked, felt sad that the council which according to them, is the third richest council in the entire axis of the country is now cap in hand seeking for survival.
Describing the situation as “pathetic” the stakeholders who noted that the council is not only blessed with fatal lands that could be use for agriculture, also expressed dismay at the way and manner the rich tick forests which is embedded by timbers have been converted by the chairman to his personal use.
The inability of the chairman to lead by example by providing good governance to the people who defiled the hot sun to pilot him to victory during the election, could not fathomed why he has decided to turn his back on the people of the council by not deeming it fit to provide the much desired dividends of democracy to the people whom according to them are now walloping in abject poverty.
Dejected that ” nothing seems to be working since he ascended the number one position of the council” they affirmed that during his tenure as Caretaker chairman, he only succeeded in constructing ten shops in the council’s administrative headquarters.
“Posterity” as made known by them “would judge every one of us” stating that “all that he know is to mortgage the local government to buy assets that he cannot justify”
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that Kurmi local government council has 10 wards with 10 council members that have little or no impact on how decisions in the local government council are made.
“The internal workings of the council require some experience, to that extent we cannot blame them for being quiet all the time . we expect every member to stand with the electorate, and not to be the rubber stamp of the chairman”.
The Chairman who claims to stay in Baissa the headquarters of Kurmi since his election as the council chairman was only their to make his away by generating the revenue made from Timber trees which is amounted to over 15million naira Monthly, which Kurmi elders and other stakeholders including the council members all kept mute.
Apart from accusing the chairman of using his personal boys to run the affairs of the local government in generating revenue and purchase of landed properties for himself.
when reached for comment, the council chairman told our correspondent that his council has not collected allocation for over six months to run the affairs of the local council from the Taraba state government.
He said the Taraba state governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku has forced the local government system into a hardship by rationing the payment of local government allocation quarterly to local governments in the state, a thing that force them to go on hardship.
It could be recalled that recently the Kurmi Movement for Sensitization and Environment Protection under it able leadership, Barr. D. G Tukura called on stakeholders from every nook and cranny of our Kurmi local government area in respective of tribe religion political affiliation or region to be awake.
“I plead with all of them to stand up and speak out on the side of justice and fairness. We must all come together and salvage our local government” he said.
The essence of governance is to provide the needed basic amenities for its people with trust. Our prayer is this for God to guide and protect us from the unforeseen.
