Bill on local council administration scales second reading in Lagos

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has mandated the House Committee on Local Council Administration and Community Affairs to look into the amendment of Local Council Administration Law and report back to the House within a week.

This decision was the culmination of the lawmakers’ debates during the second reading of a bill for a law to provide for “Local Council System, Establishment and Administration and to Consolidate All Laws of Local Council Administration and for Connecting Purpose.”

The bill, which aims to strengthen and streamline the operations of local councils in the state by ensuring effective governance and service delivery at the grassroots level, is to amend the existing laws on council administration in the state.

The amendment of the bill also seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and outline the responsibilities and qualifications of elected officials, as well as specify the functions and powers of the councils and the LCDAs.

Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sanni Ganiyu, while addressing his colleagues at the plenary, said that the bill seeks to address shortcomings in the extant laws, adding that Clause 5 of the intended bill analyses the division of local council wards into a minimum of five wards and maximum of 12 wards as against the 10 minimum and 20 maximum wards.

Kehinde Joseph, while commending the chairman for incorporating additional provisions that were not part of the original document, regarding the tenure of council chairmen, the Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, was of the opinion that the executive meetings should be held twice in a month and also proposed the reduction of chairmen’s tenure from four years to three years.

Also, Esho Kazeem, while lending his voice, pointed that the bill does not include provisions for the death of a councillor, citing a current situation in his ward where the absence of such a provision has left the council uncertain on how to proceed.

Jubril AbdulKareem argued that the stipulation requiring the successor to be chosen from the same ward of the deceased chairman is unnecessary. He suggested that the decision should be left to the councils to elect the most capable individuals for the positions.

However, Obasa maintained that the House would continue deliberations on the bill by ensuring that all perspectives are thoroughly considered to achieve a robust and effective framework for council administration in the state.