A former Minister of Defence and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, on Tuesday called on state governors in the country to issue an executive order mandating local government chairmen to reside within their respective council areas.
While arguing that the absence of council chairmen from the localities where they superintend contributes to rising insecurity and stunted development at the grassroots level, Kayode expressed concern over the prevalent practice where many council chairmen operate from state capitals rather than their official jurisdictions.
According to the former minister, during a chat with newsmen, local government chairmen, as chief security officers of their councils, should be physically present to oversee security and developmental projects instead of abandoning the people they were elected to serve.
Kayode, who had also served as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, emphasised that the urge of council chairmen to relocate to state capitals has weakened governance and emboldened criminal activities at the grassroots.
“Is it possible, reasonable, and helpful to direct, compel, and insist that all local government chairmen and councillors stay in their respective council areas and go to the state capital only with the written approval or permission of, say, the governor or the deputy governor?
“Is it possible, reasonable, and helpful to direct and compel all local government chairmen and councillors to go to work Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm daily?
“And can an Office of Inspector of Local Government Administration be established under the Office of, say, the Deputy Governor to ensure that these and other directives and mandates of the Local Government Areas are being efficiently implemented?
“Wouldn’t these measures bring government closer to the people and strengthen security at the grassroots?” Kayode asked.
The former minister pointed out that with increased allocations from the Federation Account, local councils have the financial capacity to tackle insecurity, urging that chairmen prioritise security investments, particularly community policing and intelligence gathering, in order to efficiently safeguard and protect residents.
