Lagos Assembly demands withdrawal of appointments, summons HoS

Seeks financial autonomy for LG legislatures

In a stern move to assert its constitutional authority, Lagos State House of Assembly has ordered Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the Head of Service (HoS), Bode Agoro, to withdraw the appointment letters of several agency heads who began their roles without legislative confirmation.

The directive was issued during a plenary session where the lawmakers expressed their frustration over the Executive’s repeated disregard for due process.

The House, while instructing the state’s Accountant-General to immediately cease the payment of salaries and allowances to the affected appointees, summoned the HoS to appear before it to explain why the appointed officials were permitted to assume their duties without the required approval.

The Speaker, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, described the issue as a recurring matter that disrespects the legislative arm of government, saying: “The House allocates funds to these agencies, yet their heads treat the Assembly with disrespect.”

In another development, the Assembly has called on Sanwo-Olu to create a plan for local councils to manage their finances. The move is aimed at strengthening democracy at the local level by giving councillors financial independence from the executive branch.

The House, therefore, directed its Committee on Local Government Administration to start drafting a law that would give legislative councils financial autonomy.

Obasa, who expressed concern that some former council chairmen still maintain financial control of the councils, called for action to address the irregularity.The lawmakers emphasised that financial autonomy is crucial for effective and independent governance.

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