Poor constitution implementation, cause of insecurity, says senator

Cross River State caucus Chairman in the National Assembly, Senator Gershom Bassey, has attributed insecurity in the country to weak local government system due to poor implementation of the Constitution and overbearing tendencies of state governors on the councils.

Bassey, who said this in Calabar at the weekend during his consultation visit to the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) for his 2023 Cross River governorship ambition, stated that insecurity in the state and Nigeria at large will be reduced to the barest minimum if the local government system is allowed to function as prescribed by the Constitution.

He said governors sometimes complicate issues and do not allow the local government system to function as it is supposed to, hence so much pressure on states to deliver as large number of people from the local governments now depends on the state.

Bassey, who represents Cross River South in the Senate, said: “Local government has a very vital role to play in security architecture because when you have an effective local government, a lot of intelligence come from there as it concerns security.

“But when you have a weak institution, it becomes a big problem to manage. The Constitution is clear on the local government and all you have to do is to follow the Constitution to function as it affects local governments. The governors sometimes complicate issues and this is not democratic at all.”

The lawmaker, who recently sponsored a motion in the Senate on, “The Need to Prioritise Sustainable Youth-oriented Human Capital Development for Long Term Socio-Economic Growth”, said youth development programme will be a priority to ensure that they are effectively engaged in governance and in the economy for sustainable development and growth.”

On his agenda or economic thrust, Bassey promised an all embracing economic development agenda that would ensure that all uncompleted projects of the Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke and Ben Ayade administration will be completed to ensure “progress, prosperity, economic development, security and a better Cross River State.”