Lagos Assembly Clarifies LCDAs Status — Speaker

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, addressed the ongoing controversy regarding the future of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State on Monday. This clarification followed reports that the assembly was working on a bill to replace the 37 existing LCDAs with Area Administrative Councils.

The bill in question, titled A Bill for a Law to Provide for Local Government’s System, Establishment and Administration and to Consolidate All Laws on Local Government Administration and Connected Purposes, had passed a public hearing the previous Thursday. However, following public interest and concerns, the assembly agreed to hold a second public hearing. Additionally, they invited the state’s Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, to interpret a recent Supreme Court judgment concerning financial autonomy for local governments.

Speaker Obasa emphasized that the intention behind reviewing the Local Government Administration law was not to abolish the LCDAs but rather to strengthen their operations. He explained that the review was meant to address the relationship between local governments and LCDAs, ensuring that LCDAs were not financially disadvantaged under the current joint account system.

Obasa also discussed the importance of having the LCDAs formally recognized by the National Assembly. He pointed to the disparities in local government allocations across states, noting that states like Kano, with 44 local governments, are formally recognized, while Lagos has not received similar recognition for its LCDAs.

The Chairman of the Committee on Local Government, Sanni Okanlawon, reported on the public hearing, noting poor attendance likely due to weather conditions. He requested a second hearing, which was supported by several members, including Ladi Ajomale and Desmond Elliot. Both legislators stressed the importance of clarifying the intentions behind the bill to the public and securing better collaboration with the National Assembly to recognize the LCDAs as substantive local governments.

Elliot, representing Surulere Constituency 1, highlighted Lagos’ significant population and economic importance, stating that it is essential for the state’s LCDAs to be listed as local governments, especially compared to smaller states like Anambra, which has fewer local governments but is formally recognized.