Lagos reconsiders old local council structure, overhauls 37 LCDAs in new bill

• Assembly holds public hearing on local council administration bill
• ‘Only 20 council chairmen to be elected as Lagos scraps LCDAs’

Lagos State House of Assembly has held a public hearing to amend the existing laws on councils’ administration in the state towards strengthening and streamlining the operations of councils across the state by ensuring effective governance and service delivery at the grassroots.

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

Speaker of the Assembly, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, who spoke during the public hearing, said the bill seeks to further enhance how the third tier of government should be administered.

Obasa said the bill is seeking to consolidate all laws on local council administration, among others.

Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sanni Ganiyu, explained that the bill seeks to address shortcomings in the extant laws.

But reacting to the bill, the Chairman of Odi-Olowo Local Council Development Area and Secretary of Conference 57, Ajala Rasak, appealed to the Assembly to take a second and deeper look into the bill and come in tandem with the reality that the current bill is a perfect structure but energy and resources should be channelled into ensuring that the 37 LCDAs are listed with the 20 local councils.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) will only conduct elections in 20 local councils, as against conducting elections in 57 local councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), The Guardian learnt.

Besides, it was gathered that rather than have effective officers, the governor will appoint administrative secretaries to oversee the area administrative councils though subject to confirmation by the state’s House of Assembly.

Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly on Information, Stephen Ogundipe, said that the state government is reverting to 20 local councils with the former LCDAs to be treated as administrative offices.

He said that the bill would be subjected to a public hearing.

He promised that any grey area would be resolved at the public hearing before the bill becomes law.