BREAKING: EX-LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN SEEK 20% OF NIGERIA’S DEFENCE BUDGET FOR COUNCILS TO FIGHT INSECURITY

EX-LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN SEEK 20% OF NIGERIA’S DEFENCE BUDGET FOR COUNCILS TO FIGHT INSECURITY

Former local government council chairmen in Edo State have called on the Federal Government to allocate 20 percent of Nigeria’s defence budget directly to local governments, arguing that communities at the grassroots level must play a more active role in addressing the country’s growing security challenges.

The demand was contained in a policy proposal titled “LG Charter on Insecurity 2026: A Demand for Direct Grassroots Action,” adopted after a strategic meeting of former local government chairmen who served in Edo State between 2018 and 2021.

The proposal, made public in Benin City on Friday, was signed by members of the communiqué drafting committee, including former Chairman of Esan North East Local Government Area, Austine Okoibhole, former Chairman of Uhunmwode Local Government Council, Napoleon Agbama, and former Chairman of Etsako Central Local Government Council, John Akhigbe.

According to the former council leaders, local governments should become the frontline of Nigeria’s security architecture due to their proximity to communities and better understanding of local security realities.

They proposed that 20 percent of the country’s current defence budget, estimated at roughly ₦600 billion, should be allocated directly to the nation’s 774 local government areas to fund community policing operations, youth employment initiatives, and technology-driven surveillance systems.

The group argued that despite Nigeria spending nearly ₦3 trillion annually on defence, a significant portion of the country remains affected by insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, and communal violence.

They stressed that local governments possess better knowledge of their terrain and residents, making them critical partners in intelligence gathering and rapid security response.

As part of broader security reforms, the former chairmen also called for constitutional amendments to establish state police, with operational commands extending to the local government level.

They proposed that local government chairmen should be legally empowered to lead Joint Security Committees comprising the military, police, Department of State Services, traditional rulers, and vigilante groups.

Under the proposal, each local government would receive a monthly security vote of ₦20 million linked to verified intelligence operations.

Border communities, according to the recommendation, should receive ₦1 billion special intervention grants, including access to surveillance drones to improve border security and prevent illegal cross-border activities.

The former council chairmen also linked rising insecurity to unemployment, identifying youth joblessness as one of the major drivers of crime and violent activities nationwide.

To address this, they proposed a Security-for-Jobs Programme, recommending ₦500 million annually for each local government to recruit unemployed youths into community policing, agro-ranger services, and infrastructure protection programmes.

The proposal further recommended the establishment of mobile courts at the local government level to ensure kidnapping and banditry cases are concluded within 90 days, alongside stricter enforcement of criminal laws.

In addition, the group suggested that 30 percent of assets recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from each local government should be reinvested into security infrastructure such as CCTV cameras, street lighting systems, and surveillance equipment.

They blamed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity on factors including unemployment, corruption, weak local government autonomy, porous borders, poor educational access, delayed justice delivery, exclusion of traditional rulers from security operations, and the increasing number of out-of-school children.

Describing insecurity as a national emergency, the former council chairmen warned that continued attacks by kidnappers and armed groups are forcing many rural communities to abandon farms and homes, posing serious threats to food security and national stability.

They urged the Federal Government to adopt the LG Charter on Insecurity 2026 as national policy within 90 days, establish state police structures, publish quarterly local government security scorecards, and fully integrate local councils into Nigeria’s security framework.

The proposal comes amid increasing nationwide debates over the decentralisation of policing, with advocates insisting stronger local security structures could significantly improve intelligence gathering and response times, while critics continue to raise concerns about potential abuse of state-controlled police systems.