National Council Member John Likando has taken a dig at regional council officials across the country, saying they produce vague and embarrassing reports, expecting the legislative body to merely act as a rubberstamping agency.

Those days are long gone, when the council would just give their blessing to mediocre reports.

Likando was lashing out during a National Council (NC) session in the capital here on Tuesday after reviewing several reports submitted by various regional councils for scrutiny.

Not mincing any words, the Kabbe South Constituency councillor said: “We are not a rubber stamp. We are the house of review.”

“I looked at all reports. Our officials are just writing reports just for them to make it to National Council. The reports are vague. They don’t even follow the National Council’s quantifying and implementation formats,” Likando lashed before saying all 14 regional reports must be consolidated into one.

He took particular issue with Omusati’s regional report for the 2021/2022 financial year.

The region has budgeted N.dollars 19 million for the construction of small and big pit latrines (ablution facilities) for some schools in the region.

What is peculiar for Likando is why the “small latrines will cost more than the big ones”.

This lacklustre handling of public resources creates a breeding ground for theft, he also said.

“This is why you have boreholes that are drilled on private farms or even at councillors’ individual homesteads because there is no accountability,” he charged, to which the House agreed in unison.

Meanwhile Khorixas Constituency councillor, Sebastian Gobs took the time to give credit to the NC Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources for its oversight duties.

Between 26 February and 26 March this year, the committee visited the Zambezi, Kavango East and West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati, Kunene and Erongo regions to assess the situation on the ground.

Gobs conceded that due to limited resources, the committee could not visit the most destitute areas in most regions, such as Kunene, where he hails from.

He proposed that due to its vastness and topography, Kunene must be divided into two for administrative purposes.

“I also want to take my hat off to Dr [Elijah] Ngurare [the director of rural water supply]. Things are moving in the region now. With the limited resources, we are grateful for what they are doing,” he said.

Gobs separately lamented the lack of electricity coverage in his constituency while on the human-wildlife conflict front, and noted that elephants were tormenting communities in Kunene.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency