Lagos Assembly Set to Replace LCDAs With Administrative Areas 

*Gives governor power to suspend erring chairmen, deputies

Segun James

The Lagos State House of Assembly has said that the current 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state will be replaced by administrative areas.

It also gave the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu the power to suspend erring local government chairman and their deputies.

This was contained in 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, which went through public hearing yesterday.

The bill specified that the system of Local Government would be by democratically elected local governments. This is coming on the heels of the suspension of the chairman of the Alimosho LGA by the House without authority of the governor.

According to the bill, there shall be twenty (20) Local Government Areas in the State as specified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

The bill came on the heels of the financial autonomy recently granted the 774 local governments in the country by the Supreme Court, which specified that money would not be released to any local government, which has no democratically elected executive members.

“As from the commencement of this Law, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) shall conduct elections into the twenty (20) Local Government Councils in the state as recognised by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).

“The twenty (20) Local Government Councils shall have designated Area Administrative Offices as listed in the 1st Schedule to this Law for effective and efficient local government administration in the State.

“Each Local Government Area will have its headquarters in the place names in the third column of Schedule 1 to this Law.

“There shall be thirty-seven (37) Area Administrative Councils in the State with the names specified in Schedule 11 of the Creation of Local Government Areas (Amendment) Law of 2004,” the Bill stated.

It added that each Local Government’s Administrative Council shall be headed by Area Administrative Secretary, who shall be appointed by the governor subject to the confirmation of the House.

The Bill stated further that each Area Administrative Council shall be funded by the Local Government Area under which it falls.

Moreso, it was stated that each Local Government Area has the power to delegate any of its functions to the Area Administrative Council falling within the  territory of the Local Government Area.