Honorable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Announces Government’s Plan to Digitize Local Government Court Marriages, Indigene Certificates, speaks on cleared backlogs of LG salaries and Pensions

The Plateau State Government has said that plans are on the way to Digitize the Local Government Marriage processes and also the processing and Issuance of Indigene Certificates. This according to government will streamline the processes for better accountability and financial transparency.

This was disclosed by the Honorable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Ephraim Usman on Saturday 6th April 2024 during a live telecast of Townhall Accountability Forum ‘The Time Is Now Stewardship’ held at the Studios of the Plateau Radio and Television Corporation (PRTV) Rayfield, Jos with some Commissioners and Chief Executives of Boards and Agencies giving ‘The Time Is Now’ Score Card’ organized by the Directorate of Research, Government House.

“We discovered virtually every Saturday, most especially Jos North LGA, you will discover that there’s this marriages, this court weddings that go on at  the marriage registry. But today, if you ask them to account for the finances, I want to tell you, you will not even get a penny.”

“So we are going on to digitalize the issue of marriage registry within Plateau State. And that will be done before the end of this year. We have gotten permission from His Excellency, and approvals from the Commissioner for Justice. You will soon see me knock on your door so that we can be able to perfect it.”

Chief Usman also elaborated Government’s plan on the processing and issuance of Indigene Certificates. “And another issue is the issue of indigene form on the plateau. Every local government has its own indigene certificate, which we believe you can even go to business centers and print one. Today we have gotten permission again from His Excellency and approvals to digitalize all the processes of Issuance of indigent Certificates. And that will be connected to your NIN, so that you will not have that of indigenous certificate of Jos North, and you will still have one in Kanam and have one in Mangu.”

He added that it will also help improve the internally generate revenue of the State and deliver on the mandate of the Mutfwang administration. “That will also generate revenue for us within the local government. Since we are a serious government that is ready to work for the people, that will help us to deliver on our mandate.”

On the issue of salaries and pensions of Local Government Staff and retirees, Chief Ephraim lamented that despite praises of ‘alerts’ by civil servants during the immediate past administration, it was clear that local government staff were not involved. “When everybody was singing alert, alert on the plateau, I thought all the civil servants were  paid their salaries. But surprisingly, for those of you that are teachers, all of you who have relations as teachers, relations that works with local government, relations that are retirees will agree with me, that Some of the local governments for four months they were not paid salaries that of teachers.”

“Most of the local governments for three, two months we inherited that of teachers 1.4 billion. That of our local government almost 1.2 billion. The arriers and entitlement of pensioners was 1.1 billion. We are talking about almost N4 billion.”

“I began to ask myself what really went wrong. We sat with His Excellency. I met him and said ‘we have issues’. The alerts, they have been singing on the plateau. I don’t think local government was inclusive. So he granted us and gave us an express order to see to how we can pay the salaries.”

“While we were discussing that the teachers embark on strike, we sat with them for a meeting and I asked them one fundamental question. I said, ‘yes, we are going to discuss, but can you furnish us with a letter in the previous administration intimating them of all your area? To this moment I am standing here. None was provided. But then we are all plateau sons. They are all our brothers and sisters. To the glory of God. We have paid that of teachers N1.4 billion and that of local government has been reduced significantly. We have less than N400 million to clear. And by the grace of God, by ending of this month, we are going to do justice to it.

On the issues of pensions and entitlements, the Honorable Commissioner said that pensions inherited at N1.1 Billion have been reduced to N400 Million and will be cleared by the end of April 2024.

“That of pension N1.1 Billion I told you, we have. It has reduced significantly too. We have less than N400 Million to clear their areas of salaries. We are not even discussing gratuity. We have not gone there yet. Our attention is to clear all the backlog.”

Chief Usman also informed that his ministry has also intervened in providing mobility enablers to support the security of communities at the local government levels.

“We met on ground when we came again, the issue of insecurity welcomed this government. And as a government we took a decision to get security vehicles so that the lives of our people and their property will be protected. The local government and chieftaincy affairs with the 17 local governments chairmen were able to get 35 JMC brand new pickups truck to ensure the safety of our people within our localities. And this was achieved even before the Supreme Court Judgment.”

Chief Usman also gave hints on the successes recorded by his ministry especially in the installation of a New Ngolong Ngas, a stool which has been vacant for morethan 10 years. “On the chieftaincy angle. We discovered the Ngas people. For those of you that are Ngas, we discovered that for almost a decade that stool of the Ngolong Ngas was left vacant. After careful studying the file, there was no litigation, no court order stopping it. There was nothing and as we were deliberating with my management staff, lo and behold, I don’t know the spirit detail. Litigations showed.”

He said that with the intervention of Governor Caleb Mannaseh Mutfwang, his ministry was able to organize the selection process and a New Ngolong Ngas emerged. He noted that against the practice in the past, the Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Governor Caleb Mannaseh Mutfwang never met with New Ngolong Ngas before his selection, adding that even the commissioner himself never met him until the day he came to receive his Certificate at the ministry after his emergence.

He hailed the captain of ‘The Time is Now’ mantra, His Excellency Governor Caleb Mannaseh Mutfwang for not interfering in the selection process and for allowing the Nga people choose who they want as their Paramount Ruler.