Insecurity: We Must Go Back To Functional Local Govt Systems – Lawan

Senate President Ahmed Lawan on Thursday said security challenges in the country can be attributed to the absence of a functional local government system.

According to him, while the nation’s leaders seek solutions to the security crisis confronting the nation, the Local Government system should not be neglected.

Senator Lawan disclosed this while addressing State House correspondents in an interview after the Eid-Mubarak prayers.

He explained further that the lack of autonomy potentially inhibits solutions as well as efforts by the Federal and state governments towards addressing the nation’s security challenge.

“We are all leaders and we are in this together, the solutions must come from us regardless of what levels of leadership we are – whether at the Federal Level, State Level, or even at the Local Government level.

“I also want to take this opportunity to say that we have diminished the local government system. I think we can attribute the security issues to the absence of a Functional Local Government System.

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“I think the time has come for us to take up the challenge and ensure that the Local Government system functions. This is as we look for ways to curb the security challenge. We must never neglect the local government system. We must go back to our local government system to ensure they are autonomous and functional,” Lawan said.

The Speaker said he believes that those who have championed the call for succession might be misguided and do not mean well for the country.

He also reacted to the call for restructuring.

He maintained that there might be genuine agitations but explicitly states that elected leaders and state governors should particularly not champion the movement for restructuring without first replicating the idea at the state level.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila also equates the Eid celebration to a period of sacrifice, love, and worship amid the spate of insecurity in the country. He believes that this is not the time for name-calling or trading blames as everyone is complicit.