THE ONLY REAL SOLUTION TO INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: WHY TRUE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED

Nigeria is once again confronted with an alarming resurgence of insecurity, ranging from insurgency to kidnapping especially that of school children, banditry, armed robbery, rape of victims, killings of captured victims, and the senseless threats of more havoc that have now become disturbingly common across the nation. Television programmes, radio discussions, newspaper commentaries, conferences, town-hall meetings, and social media platforms have all been inundated with analyses and propositions, as experts proffer a mixture of kinetic, non-kinetic, technological, diplomatic, military, and community-based solutions. Yet, amid this wide array of opinions, one fundamental truth continues to be ignored: regardless of how sophisticated or well-funded these strategies may be, Nigeria will continue to struggle with insecurity for as long as local governments remain structurally undermined, politically manipulated, and financially incapacitated, with the active connivance of state actors.

Interestingly, even with the long-awaited declaration of a National Emergency on Insecurity recently announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which includes steps such as the recruitment of additional security personnel and the withdrawal of police protection from VIPs, one critical component of security governance was again conspicuously omitted: strengthening effective grassroots governance at the local government level. This omission clearly demonstrates that despite growing national anxiety and bold executive measures, Nigeria is still unwilling to confront the primary pillar upon which true and lasting security must rest.

The reality is simple but critical. Security challenges do not emerge at the federal level, nor do they originate in state capitals. They begin in communities; they take root in neglected neighbourhoods; they fester in abandoned rural settlements; and they grow in the shadows of ineffective grassroots administration. These communities fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the Local Government Areas, which the Constitution designates as the third tier of government closest to the people and best positioned to identify early threats and provide immediate interventions. Unfortunately, Nigeria has, for decades, systematically weakened this foundational tier. Through the State Joint Local Government Account and other mechanisms of political control, local government funds are intercepted or redirected, while many local councils are now run by so-called “elected” officials who function largely as extensions of state governments rather than as independent custodians of grassroots governance. As a result, projects are imposed from above, local priorities are distorted, and the very institutions meant to serve as the first line of defence against insecurity are deliberately starved of capacity.

The persistent insecurity situation has generated heated debates across national and state legislative fora, security summits, and expert panels, with multiple suggestions such as state police, employment opportunities, abolition or suspension of rural education and enhanced military operations being repeatedly thrown forward as solutions. Yet, in all these discussions, the critical need to restore efficient local government administration, the most constitutionally strategic level of governance for curbing insecurity is consistently and conveniently omitted. How long shall we continue to run from the truth? Any proposal, however innovative, that fails to empower local governments to govern effectively at the grassroots will remain fundamentally insufficient and bound to fail.

A local government that cannot maintain rural roads for patrol movement, provide street lighting, support community policing or vigilante services, create youth engagement programmes, fund basic surveillance infrastructure, or empower traditional authorities is a local government that has been stripped of its ability to protect its people.

This institutional paralysis naturally produces predictable consequences. It creates ungoverned spaces where bandits flourish, establishes remote corridors through which kidnappers operate unhindered, results in communities where intelligence gathering becomes nearly impossible, and leaves frustrated local youths vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups. In such an environment, insecurity becomes not merely a challenge but an inevitability.

Despite this, successive administrations both federal and state continue to invest heavily in various security interventions: military operations, counter-terrorism campaigns, surveillance technologies, youth amnesty programmes, and intelligence reforms. Yet, the killings and kidnappings persist because Nigeria has consistently treated the symptoms of insecurity while refusing to confront its root cause. No matter how well-equipped or well-trained security agencies may be, no national policing initiative can succeed when the communities that are supposed to support and complement these efforts remain impoverished, abandoned, and disconnected from governance.

If Nigeria genuinely intends to overcome insecurity, one reform stands above every other proposal: the restoration of full, unconditional, and non-negotiable financial autonomy to Local Governments. This is not merely a matter of political preference but a constitutional imperative and a practical necessity. With true autonomy, local governments will be able to establish and fund their own local security frameworks, respond swiftly to intelligence cues, maintain critical road networks that enable security patrols, provide street lighting and surveillance tools, engage youths constructively, empower traditional institutions that serve as early responders, and address threats at their origin long before they escalate into national disasters.

It is important to acknowledge the commendable, though ultimately frustrated, effort made by the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who approached the Supreme Court seeking constitutional clarity on restoring full autonomy to local governments. That bold initiative was derailed by politics, leaving Nigeria tragically back where it has always been, intentionally weakening the tier of government that is most crucial to national stability. It raises a troubling question: what kind of nation willingly dismantles its own security foundation during a period of intense and rising national threats?

Nigeria’s insecurity crisis will not be resolved through grand speeches, celebrated emergency declarations, high-profile legislative debates, or ever-increasing military budgets. Those efforts, though commendable, remain fundamentally insufficient as long as local governments, constitutionally designed to serve as the primary responders to grassroots security, are kept powerless. A nation that strengthens its grassroots builds a resilient and enduring foundation. A nation that ignores its grassroots plants the seeds of insecurity for its future.

This is therefore a direct appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The Federal Government must restore full financial autonomy to local governments, release their funds directly, and allow them to secure their communities without interference. The path to a safer Nigeria is neither hidden nor complicated. It begins with strengthening the tier of government closest to the people. In the face of today’s security challenges, anything short of this approach would be inadequate, ineffective, and ultimately dangerous.

I have said before and I am saying it again: non-functional local government administration breeds insecurity in Nigeria.

A word is enough for the wise.

• Dr. Monday Ubani, SAN is a Legal Practitioner and Policy Analyst

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