Lagos Assembly plans second public hearing on LG administration bill

The Lagos State House of Assembly has scheduled a second public hearing on a bill to amend the Local Government Administration law. The decision was made during a plenary session on Monday, presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

The House also resolved to invite the State Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, to provide legal interpretation of a recent Supreme Court judgement concerning financial autonomy for local governments.

Speaker Obasa emphasized that the bill aims to strengthen, not eliminate, Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). “We are not scrapping the LCDAs. Our goal is to address the Supreme Court ruling on joint accounts between Lagos State and its local governments and ensure that the LCDAs are not marginalized,” Obasa said.

He added that many Lagosians had expressed concerns about the future of LCDAs, prompting the need for further clarification through a second public hearing.

The Speaker also raised the issue of formal recognition of the LCDAs by the National Assembly, citing examples from other states.

“Kano has 44 local governments, and out of Kano, Jigawa was created with 27 local governments. It’s important to revisit the revenue-sharing formula for Lagos,” he noted, suggesting a review by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government, Hon. Sanni Okanlawon, reported that the initial public hearing saw low attendance due to unfavorable weather conditions. He urged the House to approve another date to ensure broader participation from stakeholders. This request was supported by Hon. Ladi Ajomale, who noted that some residents were concerned that the government might be planning to eliminate certain elements of the local government system.

Hon. Desmond Elliot also backed the motion, highlighting Lagos’s large population and economic significance. He argued that the LCDAs should be listed as full-fledged local governments, particularly in comparison to states like Anambra, which has fewer local governments but less economic impact.

The Assembly aims to use the next public hearing to address these concerns and ensure a more comprehensive discussion on the bill’s implications for Lagos’s local government structure.