A former commissioner for lands and survey in Benue, John Tondu, has accused state governors of frustrating local government administration and contributing to worsening insecurity across the country.

Mr Tondu, a former governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said full autonomy for local governments was the only lasting solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, he blamed state governors for deliberately stifling grassroots governance, which he said has left communities vulnerable to violent attacks and criminal activities.

“Today, most of the time, the governors will blame the federal government, and the reasons for blaming the federal government will be that the federal government is the one in control of security agencies.

“A lot of them will clamour and advocate for independent policing at state levels, but the real issue of security, today, if the governors decide that there should be no insecurity in this country, there will be no insecurity.

“The governors are actually responsible for the insecurity that is happening in the country, and the reason is very simple: the third tier of government, which is the local government, is not working.

“The president, in his own wisdom, through the Office of the Attorney- General of the Federation, went to court to grant autonomy to the local government system,” he said.

According to him, there is only one thing that keeps the 36 governors of this country together, and that is to ensure that the third tier of government doesn’t work.

“When it comes to that, all the 36 governors speak with one voice, because they feel their interest is threatened if the third tier of government is allowed to function, which is the closest to the people.

“So, if today the 36 governors come together for the interests of the citizens of the country whom they have elected to serve them, insecurity will end.

” As long as the third tier of government is not properly functioning, the insecurity, no matter what efforts the security agencies will put in, they will not be able to address this issue of insecurity.

“The truth is the third tier of government has collapsed- the governors have refused to allow local governments to function. That is the main reason for the insecurity that we are having in this country today,” he said.

He said that the governors often blamed the federal government for insecurity because security agencies were under its control.

“Yet, they ignore their own role in weakening the third tier of government,” he said.

According to him, local governments are closest to the people and should be the first line of response to emerging threats, but state governors have continued to undermine their operations.

He said President Bola Tinubu had shown leadership by seeking constitutional backing for local government autonomy through the attorney-general’s legal action, but the governors remained defiant.

“The president has done his part. He went to court and secured a judgment.

“In a democracy, he cannot compel governors to obey, citizens must now take up the fight,” he said.

Mr Tondu urged Nigerians to amplify the president’s efforts and demand accountability from their state governments to restore functionality to the third tier of government.

“When the people rise to demand local government autonomy, the governors will be forced to act.

” Until then, insecurity will persist because the system is broken at the base,” he said.

On the issue of state police, Mr Tondu warned against handing security control to governors, saying many lack the temperament to manage such responsibility without abusing it.

“The push for state police is just an excuse to hound political opponents, if allowed, it will destroy democracy.

” Nigeria is not ripe for that kind of power structure,” he cautioned.

He argued that rather than state police, functional local councils with proper funding and grassroots intelligence capacity would provide a more effective solution to insecurity.

Speaking on the lingering attacks in Benue and the blame game between the Benue and Nasarawa governments, Mr Tondu said both sides have roles to play, but local governance failure remained the core issue.

(NAN)