THE Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has urged Nigerians to hold state governors and local government chairmen accountable for incidents of kidnapping occurring within their jurisdictions, insisting that responsibility should not rest solely with the Federal Government.
Bwala made the remarks yesterday during an appearance on The Morayo Podcast Show, where he addressed questions about the Federal Government’s response to the prolonged abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State and the broader security challenges facing the country.
According to him, governors should be held responsible whenever kidnappings occur in their states because such crimes take place within local government areas under their administration.
“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.
Bwala also referred to the Federal Government’s Save the School Initiative, a programme through which funds were reportedly provided to states for the construction of perimeter fencing, installation of early warning systems, and other security measures in schools. He challenged Nigerians to demand explanations from their governors on how the funds were utilized.
“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 stated.
The presidential aide further alleged that many local governments across the country were not receiving funds meant for them directly. Citing Oyo State as an example, he claimed some local government councils were entitled to hundreds of millions of naira monthly.
“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 said.
According to Bwala, direct access to these funds would enable local government administrations to improve maternal healthcare, strengthen basic education, support local vigilante groups, and provide welfare programmes for elderly residents.
He also criticized what he described as a culture of passivity among Nigerians, urging citizens to actively demand accountability from their elected leaders instead of waiting for government intervention.
“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.
Explaining the constitutional limits of presidential authority, Bwala noted that the President does not have direct control over state governors, making it difficult for the Federal Government to compel compliance on state matters.
“The unfortunate part of the democracy we are practicing today is that it does not place the President as a head boy or prefect of the governors. Asiwaju is a democrat; he will not do that. He can only urge them,” he added.
He encouraged Nigerians to organize town hall meetings in their local government areas and involve the media in demanding accountability over public funds, stressing that sustained public pressure would produce better results than isolated complaints.
Addressing concerns over the schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, who have remained in captivity for more than 50 days, Bwala said the government’s primary objective was to ensure their safe rescue rather than carry out a military operation that could endanger their lives.
“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 jeopardizing the lives of the people that are kidnapped,” he said.
