The Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu, and members of Conference 57 have remained silent in Lagos about the delay of Local Government Cabinets.
It’s been over 7 months since 57 local government chairmen were sworn in without appointing the statutorily mandatory Local Council cabinet members, who are responsible for recognizing the diversity of the people within the council’s jurisdiction and promoting a sense of belonging and loyalty among the council’s constituents.
The yet-to-be-announced nominees are expected to be members of the cabinet’s think-tank at the local level.
They are in charge of overseeing and monitoring the implementation of government policies and programs.
However, there appears to be a gap in the constitution because there is no requirement that such nominations be made within a certain timeframe.
Experts say it’s unconstitutional to operate local government issues with just the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Council Manager, Council Treasurer, Council Engineer, or Auditor, unless the cabinet members are constitutionally recognized.
Secretary to the Local Government, Supervisory Councilor for; Education, Women and Affairs Poverty Alleviation, Works and Infrastructure, Environment, Agriculture; Sports and Youths, Health, and Special Adviser are among the long-overdue statutorily appointed positions.
The 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council chairmen across the state have long since submitted their separate cabinet member lists to the State Government for final notification, according to sources familiar with the events.
However, pressure from a variety of sources contributed to the announcement’s postponement.
Another source suggested that Conference 57, the umbrella group of Council Chairmen who are currently in sole Administration leadership, is to blame for the stalemate.
According to the source, each Chairmen is presently saving roughly six million Naira per month and several millions on political appointees’ official automobiles to pay off outstanding debts, while also executing life-changing programs and other developmental projects to fulfill the grassroots’ needs.
Since March 8, phone calls and mails submitted to the President of Conference 57 and Bariga Lcda, Mr. Kolade Alabi, on the delayed Local Council appointments across the state have proved fruitless.
