The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), South-West block, has stated that the insecurity in the country will be adequately addressed if autonomy is granted to local governments.
The union also berated the governors of some states for allegedly constituting stumbling blocks to the approval of the autonomy.
The National Vice- President of the union, Mr. Oludare Famoyo, who spoke with journalists on Friday in Akure, Ondo State, said local government autonomy would go a long way in improving the socio-economic development of the country.
According to him, if autonomy is granted, security funds for the local government leadership to address security challenges at the grass roots will be available.
He said various communal clashes and herdsmen killings would be successfully tackled if the autonomy was granted.
He said, “Local government is the foundation of every development. In those days when local government was functioning, did you hear about Boko Haram? Did you hear about all these attacks by herdsmen?
“It is because then, the (local government) chairmen were in charge. They held local government security meetings often; it was at the meeting that all these unrests would be discussed. But now, they don’t even have the funds to call a meeting and if they will call the meeting, they will have to beg the governor for funds, and the governors may not answer them until the problem degenerates into a serious crisis.”
Famoyo charged the state Houses of Assembly to organise public hearings where all stakeholders would present their ideas on the matter, adding that the public hearings must be free and fair and transparent.
