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The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has reiterated its commitment to strengthening security, boosting food production and advancing sustainable development at the grassroots, following the conclusion of its 52nd National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held on December 18, 2025, at the Blue Springs Hotel, Central Business District, Abuja.

At the meeting, which lasted over six hours, the NEC deliberated on pressing national and local government concerns, with particular attention to the escalating insecurity and kidnappings across the country.

The Council expressed grave concern over the abduction of children, mothers and other vulnerable citizens, condemning the acts in strong terms.

The resolutions were contained in a statement signed by the ALGON National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Anani Hamisu, on December 19, 2025.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Federal and State Governments, the NEC urged them, alongside security agencies, to intensify intelligence gathering, deploy modern and state-of-the-art equipment, strengthen search-and-rescue operations and expand community policing initiatives to enhance collaboration between law enforcement agencies and local communities.

ALGON stressed that restoring public confidence in security is critical to governance, noting that the inability to protect citizens undermines all other government responsibilities. In this context, the Council acknowledged the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in addressing national security and economic challenges, while calling for increased protection of vulnerable populations, particularly within Local Government Areas that remain porous and exposed. The NEC reaffirmed its optimism about strengthening local governance and pledged continued collaboration with the Federal Government, State Governments and Development Partners to ensure effective service delivery at the grassroots.

On agriculture and food security, the NEC highlighted the poor condition of rural roads and the shortage of agricultural equipment as major challenges confronting farmers. The Council resolved to explore broad partnerships and all available avenues for agricultural development in support of Federal and State Government initiatives aimed at promoting food security. It emphasized the need to support farmers with modern tools, access to credit facilities and adequate security to enhance productivity and sustain rural livelihoods.

Healthcare delivery also featured prominently in the deliberations, with the NEC underscoring that functional healthcare facilities remain central to ALGON’s priorities. The Council committed to strengthening partnerships with UNICEF, Fred & Fred and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to improve and expand healthcare services across the 774 Local Government Areas and Area Councils nationwide.

The NEC further regretted the poor state of projects in many Local Governments and called for urgent interventions to bridge infrastructural gaps. It emphasized the importance of upscaling Internally Generated Revenue through innovative strategies to reduce overdependence on federal allocations and improve financial sustainability at the local level.

Addressing the growing challenge of youth unemployment, the Council described the situation as a pressing concern requiring targeted empowerment programmes at the grassroots. The NEC appealed to the Federal Government to ensure inclusive employment plans that would enable Local Government Areas to present qualified candidates for ongoing and future recruitment exercises across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

In addition, the NEC announced plans to hold ALGON Week and the General Assembly next year, describing the events as platforms designed to introduce innovation into the association’s activities. The Council also inaugurated the Northern Forum of ALGON, the Progressive Exco and the Women’s Wing, known as WALGON Excos, in Abuja. The Wife of the ALGON National President, Hajiya Zainab Musa Umar, emerged as the Woman President alongside other officers.

In closing, the NEC reaffirmed ALGON’s commitment to unity, growth and effective grassroots governance, pledging to continue working with all stakeholders to address pressing national challenges and to strengthen the role of Local Governments in Nigeria’s overall development.

By Ali Mohd

Lawmakers are rated based on certain basic criteria. These include, but are not limited, to; the number of Bills sponsored, the effectiveness and efficiency in oversight functions, and the number of development projects attracted to the constituency; development being the function of the projects attracted.

Other indices are the number of projects executed, attitudes towards promoting peace and harmony, which is directly a reflection of the level of peace and unity brought to bear on his constituency based on his opinion and position on issues, and the community services rendered.

For RT. HON. MAKKI ABUBAKAR YALLEMAN, a Member of the 10th House of Representatives, and Member representing Mallam Madori/Kaugama Federal Constituency, and current Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs, performing these duties and also holding sway as the Committee Chairman has brought him a lot of opportunities for service to humanity.

His position as the Committee Chairman enabled him to oversee the affairs of the entire Police department in the country.

It was American Max Depree who was quoted as stating these timeless words: ‘ The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality’.

In Nigeria, finding a permanent solution to the challenges of insecurity and education, thereby securing the environment for life and property and finding a solution to the educational needs of our people is paramount sine quo non to prosperity and a viable national economy.

This has also proven to be the biggest constraint to the full manifestation of the ingenuity of the people of his constituency. He aggressively tackled the challenge using sometimes his resources and also the power of effective legislation.

For instance, Rt. Hon. Makki constructed level-3 Primary Health Centres for women and children in Yalleman Tijjani, Dakaiyawa Ward of Kangama Local Government Area.

He also distributed motorcycles in Mallam Madori/Kaugama Federal Constituency.

As part of his legislative duties, Rt. Hon. Abubakar sponsored three Bills, which include; the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery, Kaugama (Est.) Bill, 2024, the Federal Vocational and Entrepreneurial Training Centre, Mallam Madori, Jigawa State (Est.) Bill, 2024, and the Nigeria Police Force College, Training School and Institution (Est.) Bill, 2024.

Rt. Hon. Makki in a bid to ensure an all-inclusive constituency as well as its general growth stood against narrow myopic interest by asserting the nobility of group aspirations above individual ambition.

His firm belief that a people must once in their lifetime, grind to a halt for self-assessment and evaluation, led him to convoke a series of meetings and one-on-one with his constituents. Sometimes compelling him to extricate himself from the easy life of comfort at Abuja.

As Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, he championed several reforms and innovative interventions leading to several amendments to the Police Act, to revolutionize and strengthen the delivery capabilities of the Force.

His adherence to principles and strategic alliances led to the adoption of best practices in the Force and a more sustainable volte-face.

There is no doubt that Rt. Hon. Nikki Abubakar has made giant legislative strides as the Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs, and have also justified the trust reposed on him both by his constituents and colleagues.