Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, has warned the immediate past chairmen of local councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state to release their stranglehold on their successors and allow them to work unencumbered.

The Speaker gave the warning during a meeting with the newly elected chairmen held inside the Lateef Jakande Auditorium of the Assembly Complex. Obasa, who did not hold back in his outright condemnation of the immediate past chairmen who are reportedly still exerting undue influence on their successors, said that many of them are still signing cheques in collusion with council treasurers and managers.

He, however, frowned on them for mounting pressure on their incumbents to start paying for loans while in office, without giving them any room for due diligence or to settle down, saying: “Let the new chairmen breathe. Let the public see that there are new sheriffs in town and that they are doing a good job. Let their work show. Don’t take their shine. Remove your grip on their necks.”

To the new chairmen, Obasa said: “How can you be answerable to your predecessors? What you owe them is honour, not to allow them to control you. They have done their bit, and everybody is grateful; you are the ones in the saddle now. So, take charge.

“Before you start paying loans, ask questions. Where you are unsure of what the loan was used for, ask questions and look through the books.

“If you can renegotiate or restructure the terms of the loans, do so for the betterment of your constituents.

“Four years is not a long time in politics. So, if the public does not see what you are doing in four months (of being in office), you have created a wrong impression. As politicians, we manage so many interests, but it should not be at the detriment of the council and the people.”

The Speaker, who harped on the spate of deaths in councils across the state, said that this was the first time such a thing was happening in the state and that it did not bode well for the party.

He advised the guests on the importance of taking their health seriously by doing periodic checks and admonished them to ensure they prioritise the well-being of their people.