The Local Government Chairman of Fakai in Kebbi, has allegedly slapped a female councillor, Rakiya Musa Tudu, for telling him about the complaints of constituents and local government workers.
The councilor revealed this in an interview with BBC Hausa service on Monday where she stated that the chairman owes workers four months’ salary, with complaints coming from all quarters over the way he solitarily performs the affairs of the local government.
Rakiya said as a result of the myriads of these problems, where elected councilors are confined within spectators’ position, a council meeting was summoned where she voiced these grievances to the chairman.
She told BBC, “It was during a council meeting convened over the different problems afflicting the constituents in the local government. We were discussing on these issues and we also asked him whether we offended him because of the way he has not been involving us in the affairs of the local government.
“In this local government, we have reached 4 months without salary. People are complaining of how they have been disengaged from their works.
“Some of them complained of cut in their salaries. All these were tabled and the chairman was urged to act.
“I told him that being close to our constituents we hear a lot of complaints first hand. And as the chairman, he cannot get to hear some of these complaints and misdemeanors, but we hear everything and we are not happy.
“I told him we are elected councilors but we have been relegated in running the affairs of the local government. Some directors have stopped coming to work. I urged him to please do something and pay workers their salaries.”
Rikaya added that after she finished speaking, “as the secretary was talking, he [the chairman] stepped out of his seat and came towards me. He was even asked by the secretary of where he was going, but he replied that he was going to sit.
“I was not expecting anything when he severely slapped me twice. Some councilors later prevailed upon him. He even boasted that a councilor was never slapped in the history of the local government, but he had done so, more so, on an elected female councilor.
“He then went out to the charged crowd, who equally were making comments on me and making threats because of my stance. He calmed them down with the news of what he did to me.”
The councilor said she expects the leaders and the APC to do justice to her, as she has been “abused and embarrassed” from the Chairman.
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