Nigerian Newsday

By Simon Inalegwu & Mathias Patrick

A leading aspirant for loko Development Area Chairmanship race, Alhaji Zubairu Abdullahi Danjuma has decried what he termed poor performance by the present administration in the area and pledged to take the development area to greater heights if given the mandate come 2007.

Alhaji Danjuma who is the Head of Department, Accounting, Nasarawa State University, in a chat with Nigerian Newsday recently, lamented that the revenue accruing to Loko Development Area was not being used judiciously by the leadership of the area for the betterment of the people.

He explained that, "the only structure (phase-one of the secretariat) built by the present chairman of Loko Alhaji Ahmed Owala was completed through goodwill donations indigenes of the area including my humble self. Even as I am talking to you now, the council is indebted to the tune of over N2 million on loans collected for that structure," he alleged.

The chairman aspirant who is vying on the platform of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) assured that if given the mandate, he would off set the growing debt profile of the development area and pay priority attention to the development of the education, health and agricultural sectors through the provision of scholarship for students at all levels of learning, as well as provision of drugs and farm tools at subsidized rates among other things.

He also pledged to make the roads in Loko, which are presently in deplorable condition, motorable so as to ease the movement of people, goods and services in the area.

Alhaji Zubairu A. Danjuma said the desire to render selfless service to his people motivated him to join the chairmanship race.

He therefore solicited the support and cooperation of the entire people of the area to enable him clinch the seat and provide the desired dividends of democracy.

"I will operate an open door policy and carry everyone along, if given the mandate," he assured the people, adding that his vast experience in both the private and public sector as well as in politics would be brought to bear in his effort to transform Loko Development Area if elected as chairman come 2007.