The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, emphasized that granting full autonomy to local government areas is essential for addressing the problem of insecurity in Nigeria.
He made this statement on Friday in Jos during a celebration organized by the Nigerian Army in Jos.
General Lagbaja highlighted that without the development of local communities, achieving lasting security in Nigeria would be challenging.
He questioned the resistance of the elite to local government autonomy, which has been a popular demand among the people.
According to him, the most effective way to bring development to the grassroots level is by ensuring local government autonomy, rather than establishing new commissions or bureaucracies.
“Why are the elites resistant to local government autonomy, which people are clamoring for?” General Lagbaja asked.
“The surest way to bring development to the grassroots level is to ensure local government autonomy. It’s not by establishing commissions or bureaucracies. We have already established bureaucracies. Until we take development to the grassroots level, we will not solve the problem of insecurity.”
He reminisced about his experience in the North East, recalling how in 1992, it was easy to drive from Maiduguri to Manguno, Kukawa, and other places within three hours. However, this is no longer possible due to the prevailing insecurity.
General Lagbaja attributed this to the lack of good governance at the local level, which is a significant factor driving insecurity not only in the North East but also in the North Central and other regions of Nigeria.
Previous attempts to grant autonomy to local governments have been met with resistance from state governors. Nevertheless, the federal government is now taking steps to address this issue.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has initiated legal action by dragging the 36 states to the Supreme Court over the matter of local government autonomy.
