Gombe Gov Signs Bill Establishing 13 Local Council Devt Areas

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has signed into law, the Local Council Development Areas (Creation & Administration) Bill, establishing 13 new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to complement the existing 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
This was as he vowed to revolutionise local governance, push development to underserved communities while giving six-month performance timeline for Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to deliver results
The newly created LCDAs, modeled after some examples in parts of the country, were drawn from the state constituencies, bringing the number of local administrative units in the state from 11 to 24.
Speaking during the signing ceremony at the Government House, Governor Yahaya described the development as a bold, constitutional and people-driven reform designed to correct structural imbalances, expand governance frontiers and ensure equitable service delivery across the state.
He cited Section 4 (7) and Section 5 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as the legal basis for the establishment of the LCDAs.
Yahaya emphasised that this landmark law fulfilled the state’s responsibility under Chapter II of the Constitution to promote the security, welfare, and democratic participation of all citizens.
“Our state has one of the smallest numbers of LGAs in the country, despite our expansive landmass and rapidly growing population,” he said.“
This imbalance, he noted, has hindered development and weakened the presence of government in many rural communities, adding however, that with the new law, “We are correcting that historical anomaly.”
The governor, therefore, instructed all Local Governments and LCDAs to focus their operations on four core areas: security, basic education, primary healthcare and agriculture.
He gave a six-month performance timeline for Local Government Councils and the new LCDAs to begin delivering measurable results in these sectors.