Taraba Council Chairman Sponsors Bills To Raise Local Revenue
From Victor Gai, Jalingo
The Executive Chairman, Ibi Local Government Council of Taraba State, Alhaji Iliyasu Ajibu has disclosed that some bills are presently before the legislative council for the purpose of raising produce levies to a reasonable amount.
Hon Iliyasu Ajibu
Speaking during an interview with a few journalists in Jalingo, Ajibu also said his priority as the council boss was security of lives and property as without security, development is not guaranteed.
The one time Commissioner of Commerce in the state said: “we are working on all the legislations by the council. I sponsored some Bills which have passed second reading. You can imagine that levy for a bag of maize is charged at N50. We want to jack it up in order to get some money for projects”.
He added that portable drinking water, feeder roads and township roads were his priority and that such projects require funds, a reason why he had to work on raising the revenue.
On the boundary dispute between Sarkin Kudu and Ibi, he said it was strange to him for communities within the same local government area to be fighting over land and that a solution to the dispute was on the way.
Ajibu said: “i can’t see the rationale behind the fight over boundary. There was a committee set up by former governor Darius Ishaku, which directed that status quo be maintained. But i assure you, it would soon be a thing of the past”.
He also disclosed that the incumbent governor, Agbu Kefas, had intervened on the matter.
“I will invite all the chiefs and inform them of the directive of the governor. He gave me marching orders. We shall thrash out all that is rearing its ugly head”.
