Speaking at a security summit held over the weekend at the Deputy Governor’s office in Makurdi, Isaac Ochekliye Agbo, a member of the Benue State House of Assembly and the chair of the House Committee on Rural Development, asserted that state governors are to blame for Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, accusing them of depriving local governments of the funding necessary to address security issues at the local level. Agbo said that “governors are the problem,” denouncing their tight hold on local government finances.
These governors receive large sums of money, but the local government units do not benefit from them. The issue is governors. “Let’s be honest with ourselves,” Agbo remarked.
He maintained that communities are left open to criminal attacks because local governments, which are closest to the people, are purposefully undermined.
Agbo also urged the military to step up and meet the challenge. “Let’s face the war head-on if it is a conventional one. He went on, “The military must wake up and protect our communities.”
Other speakers at the summit echoed similar concerns. Lazarus Mom, a security consultant, emphasised the importance of community policing, citing successful examples in Guma and Katsina-Ala local government areas where security committees have helped curb crime.
In a similar vein, Terwase Uche, the representative for Guma 1 Constituency, criticised the mismanagement of security funds, noting that despite the billions allocated for security, basic equipment like vehicles for local government chairmen are still lacking.
“We are not seeing the Hilux and motorbikes that the governor launched. Local government chairmen do not even have vehicles to function. This is a huge joke and caricature of governance,” Uche fumed.
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