NIGGSA 2026: Badewale Calls for Stronger Grassroots Governance, Community Policing

 

• Says democratic decay begins at the grassroots, seeks legislative action to strengthen accountability and public participation

• Daniel, Oyebade stress trust, accountability and stakeholder collaboration in building safer communities

The Executive Director of Hope for Masses Foundation and Convener of the Nigeria Grassroots Governance Summit and Awards (NIGGSA), Madam Oluwatomisin Badewale, has called for stronger grassroots governance, effective community policing and greater accountability in local government administration to address insecurity and restore public confidence in democratic institutions.

Badewale made the call on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during the third edition of NIGGSA, held at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, where she highlighted the growing disconnect between government institutions and communities across Nigeria.

Speaking at the summit, themed around community policing, building trust at the grassroots and strengthening collaboration between local governments and traditional institutions, she said democratic decline often begins at the local level through political interference, weak accountability, inadequate service delivery and the exclusion of citizens from decision-making.

According to her, the summit was established to draw attention to governance challenges affecting underserved communities and develop practical solutions to improve public accountability at the grassroots.

Badewale, a journalist with over a decade of experience reporting from underserved communities across Nigeria, described the gradual erosion of accountability, transparency and public participation at the local government level as democratic attrition.

She lamented that despite the constitutional responsibilities assigned to local governments in areas such as primary healthcare, primary education, environmental management, community security and rural development, many communities remain neglected.

She argued that the situation was not merely a consequence of administrative limitations but, in many instances, reflected a lack of political will among those entrusted with public responsibilities.

Recounting the foundation's achievements since the inception of NIGGSA in 2024, Badewale explained that the first edition assessed the quality of services delivered by local governments using performance indicators aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

She disclosed that, out of 57 local governments and local council development areas in Lagos State, only seven scored above average and received awards.

The 2025 edition, she added, focused on building the capacity of aspiring local government chairmen and councillors to understand their responsibilities and the demands of effective grassroots leadership.

According to her, the initiative sought to move local government administration away from political fanfare and activities with little tangible impact towards measurable development outcomes.

She said the previous editions laid the foundation for a proposed Grassroots Governance Accountability Model, which would enable communities, youth groups, journalists, civil society organisations and local leaders to assess governance performance at the municipal level.

On the 2026 edition, Badewale said the organisers intended to use the summit's discussions to develop a policy paper and, ultimately, propose legislation at the National Assembly to strengthen community policing, grassroots accountability and collaboration between local governments and traditional institutions.

She also highlighted financial autonomy for local governments as a critical factor in effective service delivery, arguing that council chairmen could not fulfil their constitutional responsibilities if funds meant for their administrations failed to reach them.

Badewale cited Lagos State as an example of a state where local government financial autonomy had operated for more than two decades, while identifying Kaduna State as another important reference point in discussions about local government autonomy and accountability.

She stressed that financial autonomy must be accompanied by transparency, effective public participation and mechanisms for citizens to monitor how public resources are utilised.

INSECURITY AND THE COST OF NEGLECT

The NIGGSA convener identified insecurity as one of the most troubling consequences of weak grassroots governance, citing attacks on schools and communities as evidence of the urgent need for effective local security arrangements.

She recalled the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire community, Oyo State, on May 15, 2026, noting that the victims were held for 56 days before their rescue, while one of the teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by the abductors.

She attributed the vulnerability of the community, in part, to inadequate internet access and unreliable policing, questioning whether a stronger community security presence and faster communication systems could have helped prevent the attack or facilitated an earlier response.

Badewale also drew attention to the reported abduction of 42 schoolchildren from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on the same day.

She expressed concern that the children remained in captivity at the time of her address, underscoring the need for urgent and coordinated action to protect vulnerable communities and ensure the safe return of abducted persons.

According to her, such incidents illustrate the consequences of leaving communities without adequate infrastructure, security arrangements, healthcare facilities and other essential public services.

She observed that many communities across Nigeria continued to experience poor road networks, limited internet connectivity and inadequate access to basic healthcare, despite being within the jurisdiction of constitutionally established local governments.

Badewale warned that democratic decay did not begin only at the national level but could develop through persistent failures in the communities closest to the people.

She therefore urged stakeholders to make grassroots governance a priority, insisting that efforts to protect democracy must begin with addressing the needs of neglected communities and ensuring that citizens have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their lives.

DANIEL ADVOCATES TRUST AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNANCE

In his keynote address, delivered on his behalf by Alogun Kolapo Onadipe, his former Commissioner for Special Duties during his administration as governor of Ogun State, Senator Otunba Engr. Gbenga Daniel stressed the importance of building trust between government and the people as a foundation for effective democratic governance.

Daniel, who represents Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly and served as governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011, said the quality of governance should be measured not merely by promises made by public officials but by the confidence they inspire, the services they deliver and the lives they transform.

He noted that citizens expected government to provide security, improve infrastructure, strengthen education and healthcare, create economic opportunities and ensure that public resources were deployed for the common good.

According to him, when governments meet these expectations, public confidence grows, but repeated failure to fulfil promises undermines trust and weakens the relationship between citizens and public institutions.

He maintained that trust should not be treated as a public relations exercise but as a deliberate commitment to responsible leadership, transparency and measurable results.

Daniel further emphasised that grassroots governance remained central to building public confidence, observing that citizens often assessed government through their daily experiences with roads, public schools, primary healthcare centres, water supply, local markets and neighbourhood security.

He called for meaningful community engagement, urging governments to give citizens opportunities to identify their needs, contribute to development priorities and monitor the implementation of public projects.

He also advocated transparency in budgeting, credible procurement processes, clearly defined project timelines and measurable outcomes, while urging public officials to accept responsibility for shortcomings and take corrective action where necessary.

According to him, government must listen to the people, explain its decisions and remain accountable for the results of its policies and programmes.

OYEBade URGES STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION ON COMMUNITY POLICING

Also addressing the summit, DIG Adeleye Olusola Oyebade (rtd), mni, Directing Staff at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, called for a more collaborative approach to community policing, stressing that sustainable security depended on trust, cooperation and collective responsibility.

In his keynote address on Community Policing and Building Safer Communities: Stakeholder Involvement and Trust at the Grassroots, Oyebade said security responses should go beyond deploying personnel after crimes had occurred to include preventive measures capable of identifying threats early and addressing local grievances.

He explained that community policing was not simply about establishing vigilante groups or deploying additional patrol teams but about building partnerships between professional security agencies and the communities they serve.

According to him, effective community policing requires a shift from purely reactive security operations to early intervention, responsible intelligence sharing and joint problem-solving.

Oyebade identified traditional rulers, local government authorities, youth and women's organisations, civil society groups and professional security agencies as critical stakeholders in building safer communities.

He urged the stakeholders to establish clear responsibilities, maintain regular communication and promote mutual accountability to prevent misunderstandings and ensure that valuable security information was not lost.

The retired police officer described traditional institutions as important sources of community intelligence because of their knowledge of local relationships, longstanding disputes and emerging tensions.

He, however, cautioned that community intelligence must not be used to settle personal disputes, target political opponents or discriminate against residents on the basis of their origins.

He also urged local government chairmen and councillors to make security a regular component of their governance agenda by supporting ward-level security committees, improving public lighting, identifying vulnerable locations and facilitating communication between residents and security agencies.

Oyebade further emphasised the importance of engaging young people and women in community security initiatives, noting that their experiences and knowledge could help identify emerging threats and strengthen public participation.

He called on the police and other security agencies to maintain professional standards, respond appropriately to legitimate complaints and investigate allegations of misconduct impartially.

He stressed that community policing should not encourage residents to take the law into their own hands but should promote lawful cooperation between citizens and professional security institutions.

Oyebade identified the deficit of trust between some communities and security agencies as a major obstacle to effective policing, noting that fears of retaliation, exposure and inadequate protection could discourage residents from reporting suspicious activities.

He maintained that such concerns could not be resolved through speeches alone but required consistent professionalism, accountability and responsible engagement.

The summit brought together stakeholders in grassroots governance, security, traditional institutions, public administration and civil society to deliberate on practical measures for strengthening community safety, rebuilding public trust and improving accountability in local government administration.