As Nigeria marked its 65th Independence anniversary, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) governorship candidate for the November 8 Anambra election, Mr. Paul Chukwuma, issued a passionate call for genuine autonomy at the state and local government levels. Reflecting on his home state, he lamented that Anambra’s 21 LGAs have been reduced to mere administrative placeholders, lacking both autonomy and relevance in governance. “These local governments are supposed to be closest to the people,” Chukwuma said. “The truth is simple: we can’t fix Nigeria unless our governors are willing to fix their states and their local governments. Our vision is clear — build strong institutions, empower the people, and let governance work from the ground up,” Chukwuma added.