Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has asserted that granting full autonomy to local government areas is essential to addressing the country’s insecurity issues.
Speaking in Jos during the Nigerian Army celebration on Friday, General Lagbaja emphasized that local development is crucial for overcoming security challenges.
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“Why are the elites resistant to LG autonomy which people are clamouring for? The surest way to bring development to the grassroots level is to ensure LG autonomy,” General Lagbaja stated.
“It’s not by establishing commissions or bureaucracies. We have already established bureaucracies. Until we take development to the grassroots level, we will not solve the problem of insecurity.”
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Recalling his experience from 1992, General Lagbaja noted the ease of travel within the North East region, which has now become difficult due to insecurity and lack of local governance.
He stressed that this problem is not confined to the North East but affects the North Central and other regions as well.
Efforts to grant autonomy to local governments have faced opposition from state governors.
However, the federal government is pushing forward with this initiative.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has taken the matter to the Supreme Court, challenging the 36 states over local government autonomy.
