Hold Governors, LG Chairmen accountable for insecurity — Bwala

By Taiwo Scholarstica

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has urged Nigerians to hold governors and local government chairmen accountable for kidnappings occurring within their jurisdictions, insisting that the Federal Government cannot be blamed for every incident of insecurity across the country.

Bwala made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on The Morayo Afolabi-Brown Show, where he responded to questions on the Federal Government’s handling of the abduction of school children in Oyo State and the broader security situation in Nigeria.

According to him, responsibility for many kidnapping incidents lies with state and local authorities because such crimes occur within their areas of control.

“Every kidnapping and abduction that takes place in any state of Nigeria, hold that governor responsible. All the kidnappings have taken place in local government,” he said.

The Presidential spokesman highlighted the Federal Government’s Save the School Initiative, saying funds had previously been released to state governments to improve school security through perimeter fencing and early warning systems.

“There was this thing called the Save the School Initiative, in which monies were given to states to create perimeter fencing, early warning signs and all of those checks in schools. Ask your governor where that money went to,” he said.

Bwala also alleged that local governments were being denied direct access to funds allocated to them, using Oyo State as an example.

“Every state in Nigeria, and in the local government, there is money that should have gone directly to that local government. I was in Oyo and I engaged with the Oyo State Government. In three local governments in Oyo, I said this local government has 600 million coming here every month, and that’s how it is across Nigeria,” he added.

He argued that if councils received their allocations directly, the funds could be used to strengthen maternal healthcare services, improve primary education, support local vigilante groups and provide welfare for elderly residents.

Bwala also criticised what he described as the attitude of many Nigerians who wait for government intervention instead of demanding accountability from elected officials at the grassroots.

“It’s only in Nigeria that citizens wait for manna to come from heaven. In all other countries of the world, citizens take their destinies in their hands,” he said.

He explained that under the current constitutional framework, the President lacks the authority to compel governors to act, noting that state governments operate independently of the Federal Government.

“The unfortunate part of the democracy we are practising today is that it does not place the President as a head boy or prefect of the governors. That’s why when Obasanjo was struggling with that, he had to go outside the Constitution to start impeaching governors and even holding monies destined for them. Asiwaju is a democrat; he will not do that. He can only urge them,” Bwala said.

He encouraged Nigerians to organise town hall meetings in their local government areas and work with the media to demand transparency and accountability over public funds meant for grassroots development.

According to him, sustained civic engagement would be more effective than occasional public complaints in ensuring that local authorities fulfil their responsibilities.

Responding to concerns raised by an audience member over the abducted Oyo schoolchildren and teachers, who have spent more than 50 days in captivity, Bwala said the Federal Government remained focused on ensuring their safe release.

“The number one responsibility of government in a hostage-taking situation is to rescue them and rescue them alive. If you use force carelessly, you may end up jeopardising the lives of the people that are kidnapped,” he said.