Jigawa’s 27 LG Development Plans Put Grassroots Development at the Centre

By DIG Mohammed Usaini Gumel (Rtd)

The unveiling of five-year Development Plans for Jigawa State’s 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs), covering 2025–2030, marks a significant step towards taking development planning closer to the grassroots.

Under the leadership of Governor Umar Namadi, FCA, each local government now has a participatory roadmap designed to guide its priorities, budgets, projects and development programmes over the next five years.

The initiative is significant not only for Jigawa State but also within the broader philosophy of Project 744 Network, which promotes the idea that Nigeria’s development must have a clear address in its 774 Local Government Areas.

National development ambitions become meaningful when they translate into better public services, stronger livelihoods and greater opportunities in the communities where Nigerians live.

From Plans to Action

Governor Namadi’s directive that the development plans should guide annual budgets, work plans, resource allocation and accountability gives the documents practical importance.

However, the real test will be implementation. The plans must not become documents that remain on government shelves. Their value will ultimately be measured by the decisions they influence and the tangible improvements they deliver to citizens.

The plans are intended to strengthen evidence-based and people-centred development planning at the local level. They are aligned with the administration’s 12-Point Agenda, the Jigawa State Comprehensive Development Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Importantly, the plans also reflect priorities identified by residents through community consultations.

That connection between community voices and government planning lies at the heart of the Project 744 approach: development should respond to the distinct needs, challenges and opportunities of each locality.

Lessons From Previous Initiatives

Jigawa’s experience with earlier initiatives, including the Local Government Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LEEDS), provides an important lesson.

A well-designed development plan can provide a strong foundation, but sustainable results require a continuous link between planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and institutional discipline.

The new five-year plans provide an opportunity to strengthen that link.

For the plans to deliver their intended benefits, local governments will need to establish clear annual targets, match projects with available resources, monitor implementation and regularly communicate progress to their communities.

Success should ultimately be visible in improved public services, effective capital projects and better living conditions for residents.

Development Is a Shared Responsibility

Grassroots development cannot be the responsibility of government alone.

Traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and community groups all have important roles to play in supporting implementation and strengthening local ownership.

Citizens, too, should be able to see how the priorities they expressed during consultations are reflected in government decisions, projects and outcomes.

Within the Project 744 LG Philosophy, every local government is not merely an administrative unit but also a centre of community action.

The philosophy recognises that government-led development is strengthened when citizens contribute constructively by maintaining their neighbourhoods, promoting peaceful communities, protecting public assets and participating in local development initiatives.

Such civic participation, however, complements rather than replaces government’s responsibility to provide public services, implement approved projects and account transparently for public resources.

The Implementation Challenge

Governor Namadi’s call for faithful implementation of the plans points to the most important phase of the process.

The establishment of the plans is only the beginning. Their success will depend on how effectively each local government translates its priorities into annual programmes, realistic budgets and measurable results.

For Jigawa, the opportunity is clear: demonstrate that properly structured local planning can produce tangible improvements at the community level.

For Project 744 Network, it is also an opportunity to advance a broader national proposition—that Nigeria’s development can become more inclusive and effective when planning and accountability reach every one of the country’s 774 Local Government Areas.

Jigawa has established the framework. The shared responsibility now is to make it work—one local government, one community and one measurable improvement at a time.

DIG Mohammed Usaini Gumel (Rtd) is the National Secretary of Project 744 Network. He writes from Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State.