The Lagos state house of assembly is preparing to replace the existing 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) with newly designated Administrative Areas.
The 37 LCDAs were created by President Bola Tinubu in 2003
when he was governor of Lagos state.
This was part of the discussion at a public hearing for the
proposed “Bill for a law to provide for the local government system,
establishment and administration, and to consolidate all laws on local
government administration”.
Speaking at the hearing, Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker, represented by Mojisola Meranda, his deputy, noted that the bill is a key step towards improving accountability within the state.
“This bill has passed
the preliminary stages, and the house is hereby subjecting it to public
appraisal in our transparent convention,” he said.
“At this stage, we gather public observations and thoughts
to reflect on them in the next stage of the bill.”
Obasa added that the bill, once passed, would allow LGs to
function optimally, adhering to the rule of law and separation of powers.
“The bill clearly
outlines the functions of the chairman, vice-chairman, legislative council, and
other local government functionaries,” he added.
“It also emphasises the creation of 37 area administrative
councils, in addition to the original 20 local governments listed.
“These councils would be headed by area administrative
secretaries, appointed with House approval.”
The bill, which outlines the structure of local governance,
states that Lagos will operate through democratically elected LGs.
According to the bill, Lagos will recognise 20 LGAs as
outlined in the 1999 Constitution.
It follows a July 11 supreme court ruling that granted
financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 LGAs.
The ruling also stipulated that only democratically elected
councils can access federal funds.
“As from the commencement of this law, the Lagos State
Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) shall conduct elections into the
twenty (20) local government councils as recognised by the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered),” the bill stated.
It also provides for each council to have its headquarters
in designated locations while assuming the duties of the former LCDAs.
The councils will be funded by the LGs under which they
operate and will have the power to delegate functions to their administrative
bodies.
The bill grants the governor the authority to suspend any
chairman, vice-chairman, or political appointee, with reinstatement possible
after notifying the assembly.
If passed into law, the bill would repeal the Local
Government Administration Law of 2015 and its 2016 amendment.
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