The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that granting full autonomy to local government areas will undoubtedly solve the problem of insecurity in the country.
General Lagbaja disclosed this on Friday in Jos during the Nigerian Army celebration, emphasizing that unless local communities experienced development, it would be difficult to end insecurity in Nigeria.
He said, “Why are the elites resistant to LG autonomy which people are clamouring for? The surest way to bring development to the grassroots level is to ensure LG 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.
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“For those familiar with the North East environment, when I was posted to 93 Battalion in 1992, it was very easy to drive from Maiduguri to Manguno, Kukawa, and other places within three hours. But today, it’s not possible. Good governance at the local level is nonexistent, and that’s what’s driving insecurity in the country. This is not only in the North East but also in the North Central and other regions.”
Daily Trust reports that previous attempts to grant autonomy to local governments were rejected by state governors.
However, the federal government is making a move to grant autonomy to the LGAs. The government, through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had dragged the 36 states to Supreme Court over LG autonomy.
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