The Minister, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume, on Tuesday, said the Federal Government had plans to establish a National Council of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs for sustainable national development.
Akume made the revelation at the ongoing three-day stakeholders’ conference on Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs in Abuja themed, “Harnessing grassroots potentials for service delivery and for sustainable national development: The proper place of Local Government Administration and Inter-Governmental Relations”.
The minister said that the national council if established would be the highest policy advisory body to the nation on issues of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
He noted that the absence of a critical structure or vehicle of mobilisation of stakeholders for prompt action has hindered the pace of the ministry in discharging its activities.
Akume said, “This realisation has thus informed my decision to establish the National Council of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs. The proposed council in its form, structure and function would resemble national councils of other ministries.
“It is also pertinent to state that the need for this council was mentioned as far back as 2008, during the bi-annual conference of key functionaries of local government administration in Kaduna State,”
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ibiene Roberts, while thanking the participants, expressed hope that the discussions would help birth a successful national council.
