By Landing Colley
National Assemble select committee on Local Government on Wednesday gathered officials of area councils and proffer solutions to challenges facing their wards. The officials were also engaged presenting their annual financial statements and reports on time before the committee.
Musa Amul Nissy , committee chairman said: “the select committee is not a witch hunt to any councils or an enemy adding we are given the mandate to over side of ensuring that services are effective.”
In the next two years they will all raise up their head high and embrace one another after reviewing their work collectively, he assured.
He urged the councils to come together and know the challenges, the gaps and find the solution to the problem.
Sunkara Badjie member of the select committee said: “our function is to play an oversize function of local government that owns the tax payers responsibilities.”
So, should we fall to do our job as a result of the council inability to prepare the financial statement, he said.
According to him it is a sham upon them for two to three years they could not lay any report to indicate that they have done their job in accordingly, citing that the tax payers deserve a lot as that they were unable to deliver due to the same problem.
The tax payers pay their money in expectation of receiving services or development from the local councils, he added.
He urged all the councils with the committee to come together as a family and come up with the solution towards the problem they are facing.
Bakery Trawally National Audit Office (NAO) official said: “In terms of financial statement most of the council will claim to pass it to the audit office adding that summiting it our office is among the process but whether is credible.”