Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen said on Monday that the myriad challenges facing Nigeria today, including widespread insecurity, can be linked to the weakness of governance at the local government level.
Represented by his deputy at the national dialogue on Nigeria’s security challenges and good governance at the local level, the speaker said addressing these challenges is crucial for fostering good governance and strengthening national security.
According to him, local problems require immediate decisions at the palace where they occur and where the problem is most deeply felt.
Abbas also said that the 1999 constitution considers local governments as the basis of grassroots development and governance, especially section 7(3) of the Constitution provides that it is the duty of the local government council to participate in economic planning and development of the area under its jurisdiction.
The speaker said, “The failure of local government is well known to us. Despite the extensive provisions of the 1999 Constitution regarding the existence and functions of local governments, that tier of government has failed to live up to its billing.
“Some of the most significant challenges impeding their ability to fulfill their constitutionally assigned roles include the covert usurpation of local government functions by state governments, lack of financial autonomy due to the State Joint Local Government Account, political instability from tenure irregularities, and pervasive corruption.
“Currently, more than half of the 768 local governments operate under caretaker committees, violating constitutional mandates for democratic management. These issues, among others, have weakened local governance and allowed insecurity to thrive.
“In fact, many have argued that the myriad challenges facing Nigeria today, including widespread insecurity, are linked to the non-existence or weakness of governance at the Local Government level. Addressing these challenges is crucial for fostering good governance and strengthening national security.
“The issues of national security and good governance at this level, therefore, deserve very serious attention. We cannot be talking about national security and development if our local governments remain insecure, mismanaged, and underdeveloped.” Abbas
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