By Barth Ozah
When he assumed office as the executive Chairman, Ndokwa West LGA, on 8 March, 2021, Chief Goddey Obi-Nzete, left no one in doubt regarding his ability to steer the ship of the council to greater heights.
And one hundred days after, he has demonstrated genuine leadership, one that is focused on achieving set goals.
Although 100 days cannot be the ideal yardstick to establish the success or otherwise of a leader or government, it is however a functional yardstick for measuring effectiveness.
Nzete’s administration upon assumption, engaged all heads of departments and staff with a view at building symbiotic synergies, and promised to promote the welfare of workers to ensure effective service delivery just as he urged workers to partner his administration in ensuring progress of the council through profitable synergy.
One of the major challenges that hitherto confronted the council upon assumption of office that the chairman has tackled, was the burden of servicing huge amount of loan that had been hanging on the neck of the council. As a manager of resources, Chief Nzete, knows the implications of allowing such loan to fester hence the need to ensure that the council was freed from all manners of financial burden.
Today, the council is free of debts that has tormented it for more than ten years.
Whilst also promising to apply prudence and fiscal discipline in handling the finances of the council, he urged civil servants in the council to join in the renewed dedication to duty and the selfless discharge of their primary responsibilities.
Nzete has also placed high premium on ensuring effective working synergy between the executive and the legislative arms of the council. Upon assumption, he adopted a holistic communication strategy between the two arms, and as a result, all his actions toward uplifting the local government have been supported through appropriate legislative backing.
On security, though still work in progress, the Nzete led administration in the LG, has been engaging various stakeholders on the need to ensure that the spate of killings and other security challenges are addressed.
As part of strategic efforts to frontally address the huge challenge of insecurity in the area, he has held meetings with various stakeholders towards addressing the security challenges. As part of strategic measure, he has set up a high-powered committee to look into the remote causes of all security challenges in Kwale and other flash points, with a view to addressing and resolving these challenges once and for all.
He is though taking it slow and steady; he remains focused on delivering on his promise of ensuring peace in Kwale and the LGA in general.
He has also designed strategy to ensure that various community leadership are aligned with the state government’s peace building efforts, especially with the youths and traditional rulers to aid development of their areas.
The council boss has also pleaded with the community leaders to ensure that the incoming community police, work together with community leaders, assuring that the already existing vigilante groups in various communities must work together to achieve result.
Despite the lean resources, the administration has set machineries in motion to give the council secretariat a befitting look. Arrangements have already been concluded for the perimeter fencing and beautification of the council secretariat.
The chairman has embarked on the building of a Modern Trailer Park in Kwale. Allotted some 20 hectares of land, the park is part of strategic move to create job opportunities for teaming youths and to enhance the revenue base of the council.
But beyond the security challenge, the chairman has in the last 100 Days, tried to reinvigorate the entire administrative structures in the council, a situation that has reawakened the spirit of service and dedication among the staff which are the hallmarks of civil service.
“The primary focus of my administration for the next three years is to ensure a total overhaul of the local government administration in the council, administration that will address issues of development at the grassroot.”
Riding on the crest of that assurance amidst financial challenges, the Nzete administration has set out on the right path as few weeks into his administration, he reignited the spirit of the local education authority towards improving primary education, which he believes could shape the education sector and its products.
A month after the declaration, he reintroduced the children’s day celebration held on May 27; an event that has been abandoned for over five years in the council.
During the ceremony, educational materials were donated to pupils of various primary schools in the area. Teachers were equally encouraged to brace up for the challenges of repositioning the sector.
The chairman promised to enhance and improve the quality of primary education which he described as the bedrock of any nation.
In the area of empowerment, the chairman has sacrificed his entire security votes towards empowering youths as over fifty persons drawn from the 20 wards are now fully engaged working from their various communities promoting peace and progress.
Chief Nzete is also working with market unions to ensure the progress of economic activities.
Now with the budget signed into law, the chairman assured that his administration will focus on landmark projects, improve revenue generation and ensuring consolidation.
However, beginning with the positive actions so far taken in the last 100 days, it will not be characterized as out of place to, on the one hand, describe Nzete’s performance as historic. The facts are there and speak for themselves. Certainly, in the estimation of this piece, the administration has scored good points.
No doubt, the coming days appear promising in view of the administration’s avowed commitment to make appreciable impact on the lives of the people of Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
