The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Tuesday referred a bill seeking to establish the Kaduna State Local Government Service Commission Law, 2026, to the relevant committee for further legislative scrutiny after it scaled second reading.
Speaker Dahiru Liman referred the bill to the House Committees on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Judiciary.
Speaking to journalists after plenary, Shehu Abubakar, who represents Magajin Gari Constituency in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, said the proposed legislation sought to restore the Local Government Service Commission, replacing the existing board structure.
He said Kaduna was the only state in the country operating a Local Government Service Board, while other states retained the commission structure.
Abubakar said there was no justification for the previous administration’s decision to convert the commission into a board.
He added that restoring the commission would reduce political interference in the management of local government personnel.
According to him, the existing arrangement places the board under the Ministry for Local Government, exposing staff-related matters to unnecessary political and administrative interference.
“The Local Government Service Commission is purely concerned with staff matters,” he said.
He explained that restoring the commission would grant it greater administrative independence and prevent situations where senior civil servants were answerable to junior officials in the ministry.
He said the current arrangement could also create administrative inconsistencies, particularly when a permanent secretary in the board was senior to the permanent secretary in the ministry.
The lawmaker said a stronger institutional framework for managing local government personnel would improve staff morale and administrative efficiency.
He noted that effective local government administration depended largely on the personnel responsible for implementing policies and delivering services.
Abubakar expressed optimism that restoring the commission would create a more supportive working environment, motivate workers and improve the performance of local government councils.
