By KP Reporter
The publisher of Kosofepost, Bilesanmi Abayomi, has called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, and state legislatures across Nigeria to officially list Lagos’ 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the Nigerian Constitution. He opposes any move to scrap or convert these LCDAs into administrative councils.
Bilesanmi made this appeal following a public hearing on a proposed amendment by the State Assembly. He emphasized that President Tinubu, who established the LCDAs nearly two decades ago during his tenure as Lagos State Governor, should use his political influence to ensure they are constitutionally recognized. According to him, this would prove that the creation of LCDAs was not driven by political or personal motives, but by a genuine need for grassroots development.
He also highlighted how the state government had taken over key revenue sources from the 20 constitutionally recognized local governments since the creation of the LCDAs. He urged the Lagos Assembly, led by Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, to rethink the amendment, considering the consensus among Lagos residents that the state deserves more local governments and special status.
“If Lagos lawmakers believe in the need for additional local governments, they should abandon the amendment and push for the inclusion of the LCDAs in the constitution. With the ruling All Progressives Congress controlling major levels of government, this should be easier to achieve than it was during the Obasanjo era,” Bilesanmi stated.
He cited the achievements of LCDAs like Agboyi Ketu and Ikosi Isheri, which have developed new infrastructure, compared to their parent local governments. However, Bilesanmi warned that if the proposed amendment proceeds, the LCDAs should remain annexes under their original local governments.
“There’s no need for legal empowerment of the governor to continue reallocating funds in a way that disadvantages the local governments. The joint accounts system should be removed from the amendment, allowing local governments to handle their own finances,” he added.
Bilesanmi further urged that the amendment should instead focus on empowering local council legislative arms and improving transparency and accountability at the local government level to curb financial mismanagement.