The Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration has reiterated the need to bolster local government to reduce insecurity in Nigeria.
Kayode Adebayo, made this known while leading the consultant team on behalf of the Senate committee at the inspection and documentation of local government projects and programme in Gwagwalada on Monday.
He emphasised that abandoning local government had led to numerous challenges, including high insecurity.
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Adebayo noted that the team is inspecting local government projects and programmes across states, highlighting the strategic importance of local government.
“Most of the challenges we face today as a nation, particularly the high level of insecurity, result from the abandonment of local government. The extent of this abandonment is deeply concerning.
“In most states, local governments have been neglected for years, to the point where, in some rural areas, not even a single open well has been constructed as a local government project over a four-year tenure.
“This inactivity has driven our youths to migrate daily from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities.
“Unfortunately, when these opportunities are scarce, some resort to criminal activities, contributing to insecurity.”
To address this, Adebayo advocated for local governments to provide employment and empowerment to youths, keeping them engaged at the grassroots.
He cited the National Summit of Local Governments, organised annually by the committee, as a key programme to strengthen local government.
He explained that the annual summit helped to encourage documenting local government projects to assess impact on people’s lives and evaluating projects’ effectiveness, not just volume of money spent.
The summit, according to him, also helped in assessing project distribution across sectors and areas and encouraging councils to improve revenue generation.
Adebayo stressed that projects must meet required standards to stand the test of time.
The Executive Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, Abubakar Jibrin-Giri, commended the Senate committee’s inspection and assessment tour, showcasing projects executed in the last two years.
Jibrin-Giri, who was represented by the Council’s Secretary, Alhaji Mohammad Saba, said Gwagwalada Area Council had been experiencing significant development across its ten political wards, with projects well-documented and accessible.
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He said that since 2022, most projects have focused on rural areas, indicating a concerted effort to uplift these communities.
He added that the strategic approach aimed to address regional disparities and promote inclusive growth.
Jibrin-Giri said that the project sites visited included ongoing council legislative building, installed Dagiri community transformer and completed Anagada community Primary health facility.
Others, he added were double-cell box culvert at Ungwar Shanu community and two-kilometre solar street lights in Tunga Maje ward.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that these efforts aim to strengthen local government and ultimately reduce insecurity in Nigeria.
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