Governor Namadi orders 27 Jigawa LGAs to base budgets, projects on new five-year development plans
Umar Namadi has directed the 27 local government councils in Jigawa State to adopt newly unveiled five-year development plans as the foundation for their annual budgets, projects and governance activities, warning that the success of the initiative will depend on strict implementation and accountability.
Umar Namadi has directed the 27 local government councils in Jigawa State to adopt newly unveiled five-year development plans as the foundation for their annual budgets, projects and governance activities, warning that the success of the initiative will depend on strict implementation and accountability.
The governor gave the directive on Monday during the unveiling of the Local Government Development Plans (2025–2030) for all 27 councils at the Government House in Dutse, describing the initiative as a major step towards institutionalising evidence-based and people-centred development planning at the grassroots.
Namadi said the plans were designed to serve as comprehensive roadmaps for development priorities, public investment and service delivery across the local governments over the next five years.
He noted that the initiative builds on previous planning frameworks, including the Local Government Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LEEDS), but said those efforts failed to achieve lasting impact because they were not consistently integrated into budgeting and implementation.
According to him, the new development plans represent a deliberate effort to revive, modernise and institutionalise strategic planning at the local government level.
He said each plan was developed through extensive consultations with communities and stakeholders to ensure alignment with his administration’s 12-Point Agenda, the Jigawa State Comprehensive Development Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Namadi stressed that preparing the documents was only the beginning, adding that their value would be measured by tangible improvements in public service delivery, infrastructure and the overall wellbeing of residents.
He directed all local government councils to make the development plans their primary reference for strategies, annual budgets, work plans, projects and programmes.
“These plans must not be kept on shelves. They must guide decision-making, resource allocation, monitoring and accountability,” he said.
The governor also urged development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, the private sector and community groups to support the implementation process, saying sustainable development requires broad participation and shared ownership.
Ibrahim Garba Hannun-Giwa, commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, said the unveiling marked another milestone in the state’s drive to strengthen accountable governance through evidence-based planning.
He explained that the plans were produced through consultations involving state ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, persons with disabilities, development partners and community representatives.
According to Hannun-Giwa, the initiative is the first in Jigawa’s history to provide every local government area with a structured five-year development framework aligned with the state’s development plan, national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sibu Abdullahi, chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Jigawa State chapter, who also chairs Dutse Local Government Area, pledged the commitment of all 27 council chairmen to fully implement the plans.
He said the councils would ensure the documents become practical tools for planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and performance evaluation rather than mere policy documents.
