Councilors of Nkum Council sitting in an ordinary session recently at the Nkum Council Hall deliberated and adopted the 2014 Administrative, Management and Stores Accounts of the council in the presence of the second assistant SDO for Bui and the MP for Nkum.

In a succinct explanation of how the money was raised and spent, the Mayor of Nkum Council, Suila Aruna Kidze revealed that of the FCFA 379,245,573 in revenue collected plus FCFA 266,400 brought forward from 2013 making a total revenue of FCFA 379,511,973, the sum of FCFA 379,436,754 was spent leaving the council with an excess of FCFA 75,219 and a total balance of stock value of FCFA 48,818,342.

Compared to 2013 the mayor observed that there was a slight improvement in the 2014 performance but lamented that the council is yet to attain the level of growth that matches with its expectations and capabilities.

While thanking those who put in a little effort for the council to register the 2014 growth, mayor Suila Aruna Kidze also sounded a wake-up call to those who are still lacking in efforts and strategies towards revenue collection.

A bulk of the budget was spent on infrastructural development especially the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and bridges.

One of the areas of intervention which makes Nkum Council a 21st-century council is its determination to fight climate change. According to the mayor Suila Aruna, in 2014 Nkum had to cut down one compartment of its eucalyptus forest at the Takijah Fuel Plantation to plant environmental friendly trees notably pegium africana.

“Some 460 stems of pegium were planted. We regret that the project took-off late and most of the pegium planted did not survive the dry season. The project will continue this year beginning early enough” he observed.

As regards the belated Tatum Water Supply Project which has been bedeviled by lots of controversies and which entered a dormant phase in 2014, the mayor said much time, paper, phone calls and money was spent in 2014 to prepare another take-off of project.

“The Council is prepared to seek for more funding to what was left of FEICOM funds to see the project realized this year everything remaining equal. The contract is now at the FEICOM regional service for Non Objection” he revealed.