Dr Monday Ubani, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and respected policy analyst, has issued a stark warning to the Federal Government. He stated that the nation's relentless security challenges will continue unabated unless a fundamental issue is addressed: the political and financial empowerment of local government councils.
The Missing Pillar in Nigeria's Security Strategy
Ubani made this declaration on 3 December 2025, while reacting to the country's latest security emergency. He argued that despite years of heavy investment in military operations, counter-terrorism, recruitment of personnel, and advanced surveillance technology, Nigeria still grapples with escalating kidnappings, banditry, and communal violence. According to him, this is because the tier of government designed by the constitution to be the first line of defense remains deliberately weakened.
He pointed out that President Bola Tinubu's recently unveiled national emergency measures on insecurity once again overlooked this critical reform. While the package includes steps like recruiting more security agents and withdrawing police protection from VIPs, Ubani insists these are superficial without fixing governance at the grassroots level.
"Security threats do not originate in Abuja or state capitals," Ubani emphasized. "They begin in communities, rural settlements, and neglected neighbourhoods." These areas, he noted, fall squarely under local council jurisdiction. Councils are constitutionally positioned to detect early warning signs, mobilize local responses, and support police efforts. However, they have been systematically stripped of this capacity.
How State Control Cripples Local Councils
The policy analyst identified the primary mechanism of this disempowerment. He explained that the state joint local council account, along with other political controls, has allowed state governments to hijack council funds, install loyal administrators, and undermine independent local administration. The consequence is that many local councils now function merely as extensions of state government executives, not as proactive, frontline institutions.
Ubani painted a clear picture of the resulting dysfunction. A local council that cannot maintain rural roads for security patrols, provide street lighting, fund and support vigilante groups, empower traditional rulers, or acquire basic surveillance tools is utterly ineffective in protecting its people. This governance vacuum, he stressed, has created vast ungoverned spaces where bandits and kidnappers operate with impunity.
He lamented that national security debates endlessly revolve around state police, youth unemployment, military expansion, and economic interventions, while the foundational need for a functional local government system is repeatedly ignored.
Constitutional Autonomy as the Urgent Solution
"No matter how many security personnel are recruited, or how advanced our surveillance equipment becomes, no national strategy can succeed when communities remain abandoned and disconnected from governance," Ubani stated categorically.
He described full constitutional and financial autonomy for local councils as the most urgent reform needed to tackle insecurity at its very roots. Ubani acknowledged and commended the effort by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to seek clarity on this issue from the Supreme Court. However, he expressed regret that political interference had stalled that initiative.
Issuing a direct call to action, Ubani urged President Tinubu to act decisively. He said treating direct funding and unrestricted autonomy for local governments as a national priority is non-negotiable for lasting security.
"The path to a safer Nigeria begins with strengthening the tier of government closest to the people," Ubani concluded. "Non-functional local council administration breeds insecurity. The sooner we confront this truth, the sooner Nigeria can make real progress."
