October 24, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
The Lagos State House of Assembly has made it clear that the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state cannot be upgraded to Local Governments (LGs) without a constitutional amendment.
This was stated by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, during the second public hearing on the Local Government Administration Bill in Ikeja.
According to Obasa, the constitution only recognizes 20 councils in the state, and the LCDAs would require constitutional recognition to operate as full-fledged councils.
This means that the LCDAs, despite their importance, do not have the same legal status as the 20 LGs.
The bill, titled “A Law to Provide for Local Governments’ System, Establishment and Administration and to Consolidate all Laws on Local Government Administration and for connected purposes,” aims to streamline the administration of local governments in the state.
“It will be recalled that this House of Assembly in 2003 had enacted a Law establishing 37 LCDAs.
“However, until there is consequential constitutional amendment that will recognise the LCDAs as full-fledged Local Government, they will continue to be known as LCDAs.
“The LCDAs will perform any duty assigned by a Law of the Lagos State House of Assembly; and executive directives from the state government,” he said.
However, the Lagos State Government is exploring ways to address this issue, including seeking special status for the LCDAs in the ongoing Constitutional Review process.
This move would require collaboration between the Executive, National Assembly members representing the state, and members of the State Legislature.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the LCDAs are formally recognized and empowered to effectively serve their communities.
