Council chairmen in Lagos, organized under Conference 57, are urging the Lagos State House of Assembly to rethink its plan to replace Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) with Area Administrative Councils in the proposed Local Government Administration Bill......KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE👈
In an interview on Friday during a public hearing organized by the Assembly in Ikeja, Mr. Rasaq Ajala, the General Secretary of Conference 57, emphasized the need for the Assembly to reconsider this proposal.
The bill, titled “A Bill for a Law to Provide for Local Government’s System, Establishment and Administration, and to Consolidate All Laws on Local Government Administration and Connected Purposes,” aims to replace the existing 37 LCDAs with Area Administrative Councils.
Ajala, who also serves as the Executive Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA, stated that the Assembly and the executive should focus their efforts on ensuring the constitutional recognition of the 37 LCDAs, rather than replacing them.
He highlighted that the grassroots development currently benefiting residents is a direct result of the additional 37 LCDAs.
“The position of Conference 57 is clear: the creation of the 37 LCDAs is constitutionally valid, and the Assembly should allow them to remain,” Ajala said, recalling the legal battles fought over their establishment during former Governor Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ajala noted that the Supreme Court had affirmed the legality of the process used to create the LCDAs, asserting that they have not acted unconstitutionally or illegally.
He commended the House for its efforts to maintain Lagos as the leading state in Nigeria.
Speaker Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, represented by Deputy Speaker Mrs. Mojisola Meranda, stated that the bill aims to establish Area Administrative Councils alongside the original 20 local governments, with these councils to be led by appointed Area Administrative Secretaries, pending Assembly approval. The bill’s ultimate goal is to enhance governance across all regions of the state.