Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has declared that the 261 Metropolitan and Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs) will be under strict supervision to ensure efficiency and transparency during his tenure.
Addressing heads of departments under the ministry during his first day at work, he mentioned that heads of the local government service have not been under strict oversight, leading to a situation where many personnel do not report to work, believing they are effectively autonomous.
To rectify this, he emphasised that under his tenure he would bring this personnel under the Ministry of Local Government.
“This will ensure that my chief director, along with various other directors and the Minister, can provide the necessary supervision. Currently, there are approximately 40,000 workers distributed among 261 MMDAs. If we divide this number evenly, each assembly should have around 150 staff members.
“However, upon visiting these assemblies, we often find only 20 or 30 employees present. The question arises: where are the others? They are on the payroll but are not fulfilling their duties,” he lamented