A female Councillor in Fakai local government area of Kebbi, Rakiya Musa Birnin Tudu has taken to BBC Hausa to express what the cruel treatment the local government gave to her.
She said she was slapped by the LG boss for complaining about hoe the council is treating the workers and her constituents.
She said as a result of the myriads of these problems, which also saw elected councilors confined to within spectators position, a council meeting was summoned where she voiced these grievances to the chairman.
“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 complain of cut in their salaries. All these were tabled and the chairman was urged to act,” she said.
Then it was Mrs Birnin Tudu’s turnto speak, as the meeting allows everyone to talk. “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.”
Soon after rounding off her submissions, the female council said “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 is 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, moreso 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.”
Asked on her response, she said he decided to follow the chain of command that is inherent in politics by reporting it to their leaders.
She said she expects the leaders and the APC to do justice to her, as she has been “abused and embarrassed,” by the chairman.
