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By Philomina Attah
Dr Adewale Adedapo of Ede South Local Government has emerged as the new National President of the Forum of Heads of Local Governments Administration in Nigeria (FOHOLGAN), calling for greater community participation to tackle insecurity.
Adedapo was elected during FOHOLGAN’s 5th annual delegate conference in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Sustaining Professionalism in LG Administration in Nigeria.”
He succeeds outgoing president Alhaji Abdulrahman Marafa.
FOHOLGAN coordinates, supervises, and facilitates administrative services at the local government level, promoting efficiency, accountability, and grassroots development across Nigeria.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, Adedapo urged community participation to tackle insecurity.
He emphasised the need for small, vigilant community units.
He also encouraged traditional rulers to promote citizen engagement in local policing, stressing that effective security began with active involvement and cooperation at the grassroots level.
He emphasised managing security information carefully, warning against reckless sharing on social media, noting, “Security in our localities began with us.
“We must maintain and manage information responsibly.”
Adedapo pledged to work with governments, policymakers, and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to ensure LG autonomy was implemented nationwide, hailing President Bola Tinubu’s Supreme Court victory on the matter.
He noted that implementing LG autonomy would allow citizens at the grassroots to feel the impact of local governance more directly, ensuring better service delivery and responsiveness.
Adedapo highlighted the need for a uniform nomenclature for LG leaders, currently called council managers, heads of resources, or directors of administration, to improve consistency and professionalism.
He called on citizens to fulfill obligations like paying taxes while urging local administrators to ensure accountability and visible value in service delivery to citizens.
Outgoing president Marafa, now FOHOLGAN Board of Trustees chairman, credited his administration with increasing state participation, national meeting attendance, and recognition from federal and state agencies, underscoring FOHOLGAN’s role in grassroots development.
Marafa emphasised the importance of citizen involvement in elections, urging Nigerians to register for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to actively participate in nation-building at the grassroots level. (NAN)