Lagos State House of Assembly intends to revolutionise the state’s transportation and energy sectors with two pivotal bills scaling their second reading during a recent plenary session.
The bills are the Lagos State Railway Corporation Bill, 2025, and the IBILE Energy Corporation Bill, 2025.
The Lagos State Railway Corporation Bill, 2025 aims to enhance the status of railway transportation in Lagos. This is inspired by the 1999 Constitution’s Fifth Alteration (No. 16 Act of 2023), which moves railway corporations from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, thereby empowering state legislatures to act on such matters.
Majority Leader, Noheem Babatunde Adams, championing the railway bill, highlighted its intent to deliver efficient and reliable transportation services.
“The bill proposes the establishment of a Governing Board to oversee the corporation’s operations, meticulously outlining its powers, roles, and responsibilities. It further details the Corporation’s authority in planning, infrastructure development, funding strategies, and ensuring rigorous auditing for transparency and accountability,” he said.
However, the Speaker, Dr Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, made a critical observation regarding the bill’s nomenclature, cautioning against the corporation designation and noting that global trends lean towards deregulation and privatisation of public entities.
“With the name ‘Corporation,’ this seems to be heading in a direction the world is moving away from,” he remarked.
The bill has since been committed to the Committee on Transportation for further review.
The IBILE Energy Corporation Bill, 2025, also passed its second reading. The bill seeks to establish the IBILE Energy Corporation to transform the state’s energy landscape.
Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Sobur Oluwa, described the bill as transformative for the state’s energy sector.
The Speaker committed the IBILE Energy Corporation Bill to the Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, mandating a report within two weeks.
