Stakeholders Seek Direct Funding for Security in LGAs

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Stakeholders across local government areas have intensified calls for a decentralised approach to security funding, insisting that direct allocation of resources to LGAs would significantly strengthen grassroots intelligence, enhance rapid response, and improve overall community safety.

They argue that equipping local authorities with adequate financial support would also foster better coordination with security agencies and enable more effective responses to the unique security challenges within their domains.

Speaking on the issue, a member of the Offa Security Committee and retired Air Vice Marshal, Abdul-Ganiyu Olabisi, noted that grassroots communities remain overstretched and under-resourced amid rising security threats.

He observed that the current system, where security funds are controlled at the state level, has limited effective local response and left many communities exposed.

Olabisi emphasised the need for direct funding to local governments, stressing that the responsibility of protecting lives and property should not be left solely to individuals at the community level.

While acknowledging ongoing efforts by security agencies nationwide, he pointed out that shortages in manpower and logistics have compelled many communities to depend on vigilante groups and other self-help mechanisms for protection.

He explained that these community-driven initiatives are largely sustained through personal contributions, a model he described as unsustainable without structured government support.

According to him, if communities are encouraged to take greater responsibility for their security, the government must provide the necessary financial backing to support such efforts.

Providing insight into the situation in Offa, Olabisi revealed that about 150 volunteers are currently engaged in local security operations, with inadequate funding remaining the most pressing challenge.

He also addressed the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as a welcome development but cautioning that its implementation may take years.

He warned that the urgency of current security challenges does not permit such delays, insisting that immediate support for communities is essential.

The continued reliance on vigilante groups across the country, he added, highlights the need for a more robust and decentralised security framework that includes direct funding for local governments.

Olabisi urged the Federal Government to match its calls for community vigilance with concrete financial policies, maintaining that increased expectations from communities must be backed by corresponding government support through direct funding to LGAs for security.

Other stakeholders who spoke on the issue were unanimous on the urgent need for direct security funding to improve the security situation at the local level, insisting that security is local.

They therefore called on the government to fast-track the implementation of the proposed state policing system to make direct funding available to local security outfits, enabling them to perform optimally and complement security arrangements at other levels of governance—federal and state.