By Our Correspondent
Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has asserted that granting full autonomy to local government areas (LGAs) is essential for solving the problem of insecurity in Nigeria.
General Lagbaja made this statement during the Nigerian Army celebration in Jos on Friday.
He highlighted that local community development is critical to tackling insecurity, stating,
“The surest way to bring development to the grassroots level is to ensure LG autonomy. Establishing additional commissions or bureaucracies is not the solution. True development must reach the grassroots to effectively address insecurity.”
The COAS questioned the resistance from elites against local government autonomy, which has been widely demanded by the populace.
He reflected on the current state of governance and security, particularly in the North East, sharing,
“In 1992, it was easy to travel from Maiduguri to Manguno, Kukawa, and other places within three hours. Today, this is not possible due to poor governance at the local level, contributing to the insecurity that plagues not just the North East, but also the North Central and other regions.”
Previous efforts to grant autonomy to LGAs have been thwarted by state governors. However, the federal government is now pushing for this change.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has taken the 36 states to the Supreme Court over the issue of LG autonomy, indicating a significant move towards resolving this long-standing governance challenge.
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