The Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, has attributed the country’s current condition of instability primarily to the incapacity of the local governments administration. Dr. Joseph who mentioned this during his speech at a press conference held in Abuja to mark the 2024 International Day of Peace, claimed that the main cause of Insecurity was grassroots discontent with government, which started out as agitation before turning into violence and other criminal acts such as abduction and banditry.
He stated that the Supreme Court’s decision to provide financial autonomy to the country’s 774 local government areas, upholding the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country, is a positive move that will help the nation’s grassroots Economy flourish and put an end to insecurity. According to Ochogwu, the majority of unrest will end and the nation would eventually experience peace once effective management has been established at the local level. He urged state governors to step up and permit local governments to operate effectively.
Inability to carry out duties well adds to the growing insecurity.
Nigerian local governments are established by the Constitution and tasked with handling local problems and delivering essential services. They have the authority to oversee local communities duties and act as a liaison between the populace in both rural and urban regions and the government. Although local governments in Nigeria possess significant authority in theory, their actual impact has been frequently limited by monetary reliance, intervention from the state government, and other systemic issues. In such a situation, state governments frequently have a large amount of influence and control over them in reality.
Local governments’ ability to make decisions is occasionally restricted by state governments, particularly when it comes to hiring and financial management. They consequently find it difficult to successfully carry out their constitutional duty, which lessens their influence on grassroots development. As the branch of government closest to the people, local governments are in charge of promoting local development, offering necessities, and upholding law and order. Unfortunately, their incapacity to carry out these responsibilities well adds to the growing insecurity in many urban and rural areas.
Lack of confidence in LG can result in violent uprisings.
Moreover, the issues of localized insecurity in Nigeria are intricately linked to the difficulties faced by local government administration. When Corruption prevents local governments from providing basic services like healthcare, jobs, and education, the public becomes disenchanted and frustrated. Conversely, lack of confidence in local government can result in violent uprisings, riots, or the emergence of non-state groups looking to take over the role of government. An environment that is conducive to insecurity is produced by weak government, poor service delivery, corruption, and a lack of development.
To tackle these hurdles, it is imperative to grant local governments increased budgetary autonomy, enhance their ability, curtail governmental intervention, and guarantee that they possess the required resources to work in tandem with Security forces to efficiently handle local issues. With stronger local administration stability would be enhanced and underlying socioeconomic causes that fuel insecurity would be lessened at the local level. In promoting peace leveraging the 2024 edition of the Peace Day, IPCR and its allies have planned a number of events.
Related Article: NSA reassures Nigerians of ending insecurity
These actions involve engaging in discussions about the value of peace in both domestic and global contexts with influential individuals, showcasing pieces of art with a peace theme to encourage peace via artistic expression, a keynote address by well-known people on methods for promoting nonviolence and peace, peace building, a peace walk, and a variety of cultural exhibits. The commemoration of Peace Day in 2024, themed “Cultivating a Culture of Peace”, centered around how communities globally can establish a culture of peace, harmony, communication, and reconciliation.