Governors are undermining LG administration, says ex-Benue commissioner
By Wandoo Sombo
A former Commissioner for Lands and Survey in Benue, Mr John Tondu, says frustrating Local Government administration contributes to worsening insecurity across the country.
Tondu, a former governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said full autonomy for local governments was the only lasting solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
Speaking in Abuja, he said that deliberately stifling grassroots governance has left communities vulnerable to violent attacks and criminal activities.
“Today, most of the time, the governors will blame the Federal Government, and the reasons for blaming the Federal Government will be that the Federal Government is the one in control of security agencies.
“A lot of them will clamour and advocate for independent policing at state levels, but the real issue of security, today, if the governors decide that there should be no insecurity in this country, there will be no insecurity.
“The reason is very simple: the third tier of government, which is the local government, is not working.
“The president, in his own wisdom, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, went to court to grant autonomy to the local government system.
“So, if today the 36 governors come together for the interest of the citizens of the country whom they have elected to serve them, insecurity will end.
“As long as the third tier of government is not properly functioning, the insecurity, no matter what efforts the security agencies will put in, they will not be able to address this issue of insecurity.”
According to him, local governments are closest to the people and should be the first line of response to emerging threats, but state governors have continued to undermine their operations.
“The president has done his part. He went to court and secured a judgment.
“In a democracy, he cannot compel governors to obey, citizens must now take up the fight,” he said.
Tondu urged Nigerians to amplify the president’s efforts and demand accountability from their state governments to restore functionality to the third tier of government.
“When the people rise to demand local government autonomy, the governors will be forced to act.
“Until then, insecurity will persist because the system is broken at the base,” he said.
On the issue of state police, Tondu warned against handing security control to governors, saying many lack the temperament to manage such responsibility without abusing it.
“The push for state police is just an excuse to hound political opponents, if allowed, it will destroy democracy.
“Nigeria is not ripe for that kind of power structure,” he cautioned.
He argued that rather than state police, functional local councils with proper funding and grassroots intelligence capacity would provide a more effective solution to insecurity.
Speaking on the lingering attacks in Benue and the blame game between the Benue and Nasarawa governments, Tondu said both sides have roles to play, but local governance failure remained the core issue. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
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