The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has affirmed that the 37 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos are firmly established and will not be abolished.
This declaration was made while addressing attendees at a public hearing on a bill aimed at amending the Local Government Administration law of the state.
Represented by Deputy Speaker Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, Obasa stated, “We are gathered here to consider and reflect on a bill that seeks to further enhance how our third tier of government should be administered. The LCDAs have come to stay and they would remain so by the special grace of God. Nobody is killing the LCDAs. Instead, we have come to say here is the Supreme Court judgement; how do we go about it? I know we all have the interest of this state at heart.”
The Speaker urged residents to take an active role in supporting the LCDAs, stating, “Did we follow the right path in creating the LCDAs? The answer is ‘yes’. So at this point, it is a call for every Lagosian to rise up and protect the LCDAs by reaching out to all our representatives at the national level. Our representatives and senators should lobby their colleagues there. We will continue to do our part and we are doing it to ensure that the 37 LCDAs are listed in the constitution.”
Recalling a recent deliberation on an electoral bill concerning local government elections, Obasa noted that this was a crucial step towards enhancing the functionality of local governance.
“This Bill has passed the preliminary stages and the House is hereby subjecting it to public appraisal in our transparent convention. At this stage, we subject the bill to public assessment, gathering public observations and thoughts to reflect on them in the next stage of the bill,” he explained.
The proposed legislation aims to consolidate existing laws governing local government administration, ensuring that local governments operate effectively under the rule of law and with a clear separation of powers.
Notably, the bill outlines a four-year tenure for elective offices within local government, addressing past ambiguities regarding the term lengths of these officials.
Key provisions of the bill include regulations on asset declarations, the nomination process for chairpersons, and the procedures for removing local government officials. Section 4(3) of the Bill states: “The 20 local governments shall have designated local council Development Areas as listed in the First Schedule to this law for effective and efficient local government administration in the State.”
During the session, legal expert Muiz Banire (SAN) raised concerns about certain clauses within the bill, emphasizing the implications of a recent Supreme Court ruling.
“The import of the Supreme Court judgement is simple. The State Governor does not have the power over council chairmen; if any council chairman misbehaves, it is the councillors that can decide on what to do,” he argued, suggesting the removal of Section 38 which allows the Ministry of Local Government to issue guidelines for local governments.
However, Banire’s views were met with pushback from former Deputy Speaker Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, who defended the authority of the State House of Assembly to create local governments, asserting, “Nobody can say the law is not in existence… We know some governors are making nonsense of the local governments but Lagos is an exemption.”
Former Deputy Speaker Hon. Funmilayo Tejuoso remarked, “When you have a child that does not have a name, does it mean that the child is dead? It simply means that the LCDAs are still existing.” She concluded, “We shouldn’t throw away the baby with the bath water.”
Support for the LCDAs was echoed by Imam Ibrahim Tijani from Itire-Ikate and various stakeholders present, including Ajose Agbejoye, who proposed that elections for local councils should commence six months prior to the end of the current administration’s term. Adeniyi Olutimehin, President of the Greater Lagos Initiative, also urged the House to ensure the continued operation of the LCDAs amidst ongoing legislative changes.