Honorable Commissioner Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs underscores crucial role of Traditional Rulers as Ministry Holds Sensitization Workshop

The Honorable Commissioner, Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Ephraim Usman has said that the ministry recognizes the crucial role traditional rulers play in maintaining peace, stability and development in the state. According to a statement by the Information Officer of the Ministry, Edward Damwesh, the Commissioner made the disclosure at a one-day sensitization workshop for secretaries, protocol officers and accountants of traditional rulers in Plateau State held on Thursday 12th September 2024.

The event, with the theme, “Effective Communication/Speech Writing, Ethics and Norms that will Enhance Performance at Work” was organized by the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in conjunction with P N Dalcon Enterprise. The commissioner described the workshop, which aimed to equip staff working in the offices of traditional rulers with requisite skills and knowledge, as timely and in line with the ‘Time-is-Now mantra of the administration of Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.

Declaring the workshop open, Hon. Usman said the workshop would enhance record-keeping and document management, improve protocol etiquette and event management, strengthen financial management and accountability, as well as foster conflict resolution and mediation skills. The commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Yakubu Mallo, asserted that investing in the development of traditional council staff would improve governance and service delivery at the grassroots level.

He commended P.N Dalcom Enterprise for partnering with the ministry and selecting people with vast knowledge to present rich papers and called on the participants to ensure they operate within the context of government laws, policies and programmes. Earlier in his welcome address, representative of P.N Dalcom Enterprise, Mr. Pius Nden Dalen described the programme as historic and a testament to their shared vision of enhancing the performance of traditional council staff, hence the selection of tested resource persons.

Papers presented at the workshop included Working in Tandem with Cultural Norms of the People, by Pongwan Jonah of the National Orientation Agency; Effective Communication, by Prof. Dul Johnson of Bingham University; Speech Writing, by Mr. Yusuf Dabis of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), others from Mr. Kevin Kesho on the role of Traditional councils in Local Government Administration, Mr. Yohanna Andrew on protocol and the Director of Chieftaincy in the Ministry, Mr. Philemon Diyen on the role of Secretaries and Accountants in the Traditional councils.

In a communique issued at the end of the workshop, participants recommended that similar workshops should be organized for presidents of traditional councils in Plateau State to appraise them with the recent development, adding that consideration should be given to traditional councils’ salaries and imprest, and stressed that the ministry should not give attention to communications that did not follow due process, among others.