By Awaal Gata
Chairman of Abaji area council, Hon. Yahaya Garba Gawu, has bagged the award of Best Area Council Chairman in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The award, which was given to him by Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation, was in recognition of his “astute perseverance towards making Abaji the most ethically responsible area council in the territory.”
While presenting the award to him yesterday, the Executive Director of the Centre, Prince Salihu Musa Ibrahim, said the Centre, which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), conducted an independent research on elected representatives of the people, especially the local government chairmen, and at the end of the exercise, Garba Gawu topped the list.
He said the Centre took the impact the chairman made in the last one year into consideration, hence deemed him the winner.
Ibrahim pointed out that the centre is out to expose corrupt leaders who, instead of offering services to the people, embezzle public funds.
At the event, the chairman was given a golden medal, while Abaji area council, as an institution, was given a certificate as the most “ethically responsible local government in the FCT.”
The chairman was later decorated as a distinguished ambassador of ethics and conscience.
However, in his acceptance speech, Gawu said the award was rather a challenge to him to provide more services to the people of the council.
He dedicated the award “to the good people of the Council” who gave him the opportunity to serve them.
He further assured them of his administration’s commitment to effective service delivery.