Kidnappings

  Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has said responsibility for kidnappings in states rests with governors and local government chairmen, insisting that the Federal Government should not be blamed for such incidents. Bwala said this on Wednesday during an appearance on The Morayo Podcast Show, where he was questioned on the Federal Government’s handling of the ongoing Oyo State school abduction and rising insecurity across the country. “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. He specifically referenced the Save the School Initiative, a federal programme he said had provided states with funds for perimeter fencing and early warning systems in schools, and challenged Nigerians to query their governors on how the money was spent. “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 across the country were not receiving funds directly meant for them, citing an example from Oyo State. “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 said. He argued that if such funds were released directly to local government chairmen, they could be used to improve maternal healthcare, basic education, local vigilante security and welfare support for the elderly. The presidential aide also faulted Nigerians for what he described as a culture of waiting passively for government intervention, urging citizens to take their own action in holding local governments to account. “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 Nigeria’s current constitutional arrangement, the President does not have direct authority over governors, limiting what the Federal Government can do to compel state compliance. “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 instead urged Nigerians to hold town hall meetings at the local government level and involve the media to publicly demand accountability over unremitted funds. He added that sustained public pressure, rather than isolated complaints, was more likely to draw attention to the issue. Responding to a question from an audience member on the abducted Oyo schoolchildren and teachers, who have now spent over 50 days in captivity, Bwala said the Federal Government’s priority remained securing their safe release rather than a forceful rescue 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 jeopardising the lives of the people that are kidnapped,” he said.