November 25, 2010 12:07AM

The Bayelsa State government is to evolve a legislative framework to compel traditional rulers and chairmen of councils to reside and discharge their functions in their domains.

The State Governor, Timipre Sylva, on Wednesday, in Yenagoa, at a Town Hall meeting with community leaders, said that the practice where some traditional rulers and council chairmen were residing in the state capital was counter-productive to the development of the rural areas.

About 90 percent of council chairmen and traditional rulers in the state reside and carry out their functions from Yenagoa, abandoning their subjects in the rural communities.

“If only the traditional rulers and council chairmen would stay in their respective domains and carry out their leadership functions, I believe we will have fewer problems in the state,” Mr. Sylva said.

The governor’s decision to return them to their areas of authority followed a complaint by a concerned community leader, Dennis Atimi.

Mr. Atimi, who is from Ekeremor local government area, had, at the meeting, complained to the governor that the absence of the council chairmen in their areas had led to the collapse of local government administration in the state.

“If the chairmen were compelled to stay in the council areas and discharge their functions, there will be high sense of responsibility and commitment to the growth and development of the councils,” he said.

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