Lagos Assembly reverses stance: 37 LCDAs have come to stay

Obasa

Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has said that there are no plans to scrap the state’s 37 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs).

Obasa, represented by Deputy Speaker Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, made this remark during the second public hearing on the bill to amend the Local Government Administration law of the state on Thursday.

“We gathered to consider and reflect on a bill that seeks to further enhance the administration of our third tier of government.

“The LCDAs have come to stay, and they will remain so by the special grace of God. Nobody is killing the LCDAs. Instead, we are here to discuss the Supreme Court judgement; how do we proceed? I believe we all have the state’s interests at heart.

“Did we follow the right path in creating the LCDAs? The answer is ‘yes’. So, now is the time for every Lagosian to rise and protect the LCDAs by reaching out to our national representatives.

“Our representatives and senators must lobby their colleagues. We will continue to do our part to ensure the 37 LCDAs are listed in the constitution,” the Speaker said.

He recalled that two weeks prior, a similar gathering was held to deliberate on the electoral bill for the local government election, which he described as the first necessary step before the House could decide how the local governments should function.

“This bill has passed the preliminary stages, and the House has subjected it to public appraisal in our transparent convention. At this stage, we open the bill to public assessment, gathering observations and thoughts to reflect upon in the next phase of the bill.

“The bill seeks to consolidate all laws on local government administration. Once passed, it will enable the local governments to function optimally with strict adherence to the rule of law and separation of powers,” he added.

The Speaker emphasised that the bill also introduced a four-year tenure for elective offices in the local government, which, according to him, has removed previous ambiguities regarding the tenure of these elected officials.

He further explained that the bill outlines all necessary provisions for effective local government administration, including asset declarations, nomination and removal of chairmen and vice chairmen, the appointment of local government area supervisors, and executive powers for local government bodies.

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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.”

Section 4(1) of the bill further states: “There shall be 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State, with the names specified in Schedule II of the Creation of Local Government (Amendments) of 2004.”

Following an overview presented by Hon. Noheem Adams, Majority Leader of the House, Lagos-based lawyer Muiz Banire (SAN) pointed out some clauses in the bill that required further input.

Banire argued: “The import of the Supreme Court judgement is simple. The State Governor does not have the authority over council chairmen; if a council chairman misbehaves, it is the councillors who have the power to decide what action to take.”

He also advised that Section 38 of the bill be removed, noting, “It is no longer legal for the Ministry of Local Government to issue guidelines for local governments.”

However, Banire was countered by the former Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, who said: “The constitution empowers the State House of Assembly to create local governments. The law has been tested; our LCDAs have existed but are simply not yet listed.

“Nobody can say the law does not exist. I was the Majority Leader then. You are suggesting that the House should relinquish its powers; we must be cautious. Some governors may undermine local governments, but Lagos is an exception.”

Supporting Taiwo’s position, another former Deputy Speaker, Hon. Funmilayo Tejuoso, said: “When a child does not have a name, does that mean the child is dead? No, the LCDAs still exist. The Supreme Court has recognised them; we are simply waiting for the constitution to reflect the LCDAs.”

She concluded that the LCDAs should continue to exist, remarking, “We must not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Imam Ibrahim Tijani from Itire-Ikate also voiced his support for the continued existence of the LCDAs.

Another stakeholder, Ajose Agbejoye, proposed that elections into local government councils should commence six months before the end of the current administration’s four-year term to resolve electoral issues before a new chairman is sworn in.

The President of the Greater Lagos Initiative, Adeniyi Olutimehin, also appealed to the House to allow the LCDAs to continue functioning, regardless of any amendments made to the bill.