Rivers State: Ahoada West local Government : A local Government where Councilors has no office spaces

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Councilors who are described as member of Council, do not become Council members on their volition, they were elected by citizens of their respective wards, to represent them in the Council.

A Councillor is the nearest or closest government to the people. In the developed world, citizens are more concerned about who becomes their Councilor than who becomes their president. The Councilor communicates the needs of his people to the central government, and helps make laws (Edicts) or policies to address those needs.

For the Councilor to effectively and efficiently carry out his responsibilities, he need to live and reside within his ward. Unfortunately, non of the Councilors in Ahoada West local government Council, live or resides within his word. They all live in port Harcourt, the State capital, or Obio/Akpo local government Area, close to me state capital. The people are therefore, estranged and alienated from their representatives. The alienation is made worst as the Councilors seldom visit their communities, not to talk about visiting other communities that makes up their wards.

The only avenue left for the people to interface with their Councilor, is the Councilor’s office at the Council. Unfortunately, in Ahoada West local government Council, there are no offices for Councilors. As a result, the 12 Councillors only visit the Council on the invitation of the Executive chairman for budget proposal or other bills approvals. You see them loitering within the secretariat after each approval meetings.

The 12 Councilors, most of whom can barely read and write, knows nothing about legislative business, and lacks the courage to ask the Executive chairman to do things right. The 3, 12 by 12 rooms in the primitive legislative complex, built by former chairman of the Council, Chief Augustine Okpokiri, meant for the leader, deputy leader and Chief Whip of the house, are filled with cobwebs and without any form of furniture.

It is the common practice for councilors, after being inaugurated, to be exposed to seminars when they would learn the rudiments of legislative business. This was never done, rather, the executive chairman sent them to Yensgoa, capital of Bayelsa State, lodged them in an hotel for three days and gave them some cash in place of the seminar.

It is therefore not surprising to see Councilors from Ahoada West local government Council, exhibiting high level of ignorance in the duty and functions of a Councillor.