A former minister of state for defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has argued that the proposed law to scrap the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State may undermine grassroots development.
Obanikoro expressed his contention in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The bill is 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.
The Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, represented by Deputy Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, during a public hearing on the bill, said the proposed law would repeal both the Local Government Administration Law of 2015 and its 2016 amendment.
The speaker added that the bill was proposed to replace the current 37 LCDAs with Area Administrative Councils.
Obanikoro said although the intention of the Assembly on the bill was good, scrapping the LCDAs for Area Administrative Councils was unnecessary at this time.
The former minister said replacing them with area administrative councils might affect their functions for which they were created 21 years ago.
Obanikoro, who also faulted the low publicity given to the public hearing, urged the lawmakers to consider stakeholders’ inputs to make the bill richer.
He said: “The problems we have at the local level are so profound that when we are dealing with local government issues, we should take it as seriously as you can ever imagine.
“Because if we are going to grow as a nation, this tier of government must bring out the best in all of us, not those crumbs as we are taking it to be.
“I interacted with the local government officials, I was almost in tears. What we enjoyed when we were council chairmen is no longer there.
“The skill sets are not there. So that is why the Assembly must not take it the way they are taking it. This bill can be richer, and I want to advise that let us do the needful to make it what it is.”
The bill further mandates the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to only conduct elections to the 20 constitutionally-recognised LGAs.
These Administrative Councils will be headed by Area Administrative Secretaries, appointed by the state governor, and will be funded by the respective LGAs under which they are located.
The councils will manage local matters and retain rights, obligations, and liabilities from their previous status as LCDAs.
Furthermore, the proposed law allows LGAs to delegate functions to their respective Administrative Councils.
It also grants the state governor the power to suspend any erring chairman, vice chairman, or political appointee, with reinstatement allowed upon expiration of the suspension, subject to notification of the Assembly.