Granting full autonomy to local government areas will undoubtedly solve the problem of insecurity in the country.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed 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 the surest way to bring development to the grassroots level is to ensure LG autonomy not by establishing commissions or bureaucracies. We have already established bureaucracies.
Referring to the Northeast environment, Lagbaja said 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 non-existent, and that is what is driving insecurity in the country.
He added that this is not only in the North East but also in the North Central and other regions.
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 the Supreme Court over LG autonomy.