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Tag: LCDAs

  • Why we are against abolition of Lagos LCDAs – CSOs

    Why we are against abolition of Lagos LCDAs – CSOs

    The Lagos State Civil Society Coalition has said that a proposed Bill to dismantle the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos, will signal a significant regression for local governance in the state.

    The spokesperson of the group, Mr Sina Loremikan restated the coalition’s position in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The coalition alongside a group of Concerned Lagosians recently addressed a news conference in Lagos denouncing the proposed bill by the Lagos State House of Assembly, to replace the 37 LCDAs with Area Administrative Council.

    The Bill proposed that the area administrative councils will be administered and funded by the local government areas under which they fall.

    Loremikan said the Bill is not only retrogressive, but a move by the house of assembly to disrupt the administrative structure that has allowed communities in Lagos state to enjoy localised governance and development for nearly two decades.

    “The LCDAs were established in 2003 to bring government closer to the people, increase representation and address local issues more effectively.

    “The proposed Bill will dismantle these structures, ostensibly under the claim that they are unconstitutional,’’ Loremikan of  Campaign Against Impunity said..

    The coalition leader contended that the LCDAs have been particularly effective in providing more tailored services and infrastructure to areas that are otherwise overlooked by local government councils.

    He added that, by proposing to abolish the entities, the house of assembly and its leadership have taken step to “reverse the gains made in local development, reduce citizen participation in governance, and stall community-focused initiatives.

    “If the bill succeeds, it will signal a significant regression for local governance in Lagos. It is our considered position, therefore, that the abolition of the LCDAs will invariably create governance crises in communities where resources and attention are often stretched.

    “Our fear and the fears of many Lagosians are that these communities would be left without adequate representation, thereby, straining development and the already complex governance landscape of Lagos state.

    “As concerned citizens and stakeholders, we insist on the preservation and empowerment of the LCDAs as effective vehicles for grassroots governance and local empowerment,’’ he said.

    Loremikan added that the proposed abolition Bill is a direct affront to President Bola Tinubu’s legacy during his tenure as Governor of Lagos state.

    “It is important to remember that the creation of these LCDAs is a key part of the legacy of President Tinubu, during his tenure as Governor.

    “Abolishing the LCDAs will not only erase a fundamental aspect of his legacy, but it will also set a dangerous precedent that disregards the will of the people and the importance of local governance.

    “Tinubu’s foresight in creating these LCDAs was instrumental in transforming Lagos into the economic powerhouse it is today.

    “This legacy must be protected. Lagosians will not stand by and watch as the progress made over the last two decades is rolled back by a single legislative action,” he said.

    Loremikan, therefore, called on the house of assembly to immediately withdraw the proposed bill, forthwith because of its long-term consequences.

  • Lagos LGA Chairmen oppose bill to scrap 37 LCDAs

    Lagos LGA Chairmen oppose bill to scrap 37 LCDAs

    Lagos council chairmen, under the aegis of Conference 57, have urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to reconsider the creation of Area Adminstrative Councils in replacement of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the proposed Local Government Administration Bill.

    The General-Secretary of Conference 57, Mr Rasaq Ajala ,made the call in an interview on Friday on the sidelines of a public hearing organised by the Assembly in Ikeja. 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  Assembly on Thursday during a public hearing said the bill was being considered  to replace the current 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) with Area Administrative Councils in the state.

    Ajala, who is the Executive Chairman, Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA in the state, said the assembly should reconsider its proposal to replace  the present local council development area with the area adminstrative council.

    The council chairman said the  Assembly and the excutive should, rather, channel all energy and resources into ensuring that the 37 LCDAs were listed in the constitution.

    He noted that while waiting for the listing of the 37, executive and the assembly should continue to maintain the present 57 local government structures.

    Ajala noted that the grassroots development the people of the state were enjoying today in the state was made possible because of the additional 37 LCDAs.

    “The position of the Conference 57 on the issue is very clear that the creation of the 37 LCDAs is a product of the Constitution and to that extent, the Assembly should allow it to stay.

    “You will recall that when this Local Council Development Areas were created by President Bola Tinubu ,when he was the governor of the Lagos State, the state was taken to court. We dragged the matter up to the Supreme Court.

    “The pronouncement of the Supreme Court then was very clear. They have given validity. They believe that the process we took was legal. So to that extent, we believe that we have not done anything that is unconstitutional by creating the 37. We’ve not done anything that is illegal and this is a system that has been working for years,” he said.

    Ajala said Conference 57 strongly believed that  the House was doing well in ensuring the state remained the number one state in the country.

    The Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill aims to create  Area Administrative Councils in addition to the original 20 local governments listed in the bill.

    Obasa, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, said the councils would be headed by appointed  Area Administrative Secretaries , subject to the approval of the House.

    The speaker said the ultimate objective of the bill is to bring governance to all parts of the state.

  • Why I won’t scrap Lagos LCDAs – PDP guber candidate, Jandor

    Why I won’t scrap Lagos LCDAs – PDP guber candidate, Jandor

    The PDP Governorship Candidate for  Lagos State, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran (a.k.a Jandor), says he will retain the 37 inchoate Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs ) in the state if elected governor in 2023.

    Adediran told NAN in Lagos that he might even increase the number to further bring the government nearer to Lagos residents.

    He said that canceling the LCDAs would not be a good decision.

    According to him, the regularisation of the 37 LCDAs are overdue.

    “The party (APC) has the presidency, the majority in the National Assembly, and the majority in the state assembly,” he told NAN.

    He said that eight years after their creation was enough for the regularisation of the LCDAs created by the administration of Chief Bola Tinubu.

    The governorship candidate said that he would do his best to ensure regularisation of the local councils, if elected governor.

    “We need them (LCDAs) to bring government closer to the people.

    “We don’t have any problem with them (LCDAs). If possible, we will create more,” he said.

    Adediran said that he would ensure that the LCDAs would used to bring dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

    He said that his administration would not only empower the council to perform their roles but would also monitor them for the people to get dividends of democracy the LCDAs were expected to provide at the grassroots.

  • ‘Okada’ ban remains on June 1 – Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu

    Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said there is no going back on the June 1 proposed ban of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as ‘Okada’ on highways.

    Sanwo-Olu said this while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday evening, after the State Security Meeting, at Lagos House, Ikeja.

    Newsmen reports that the Heads of security services in the state were are at the meeting.

    The ban is in six local governments, Surulere, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Apapa, Eti-Osa and Ikeja.

    The  Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) are Yaba, Coker-Aguda, Itire,-Ikate, Apapa-Iganmu, Ojodu, Onigbongbo, Lagos Island East, Lagos Island West, Eti-Osa East, Eti-Osa West, Iru Victoria Island and Ikoyi-Obalende.

    Sanwo-Olu said that security services and Lagos State Government had agreed on the banning of commercial motorcycles in the selected areas.

    He said the government and security agencies would ensure that the security architecture was not compromised so that residents would live and do their business without fear.

    ”The security meeting gives us an opportunity to review the recent pronouncement on the future banning of Okada (motorcycles) in some selected local governments and LCDAs.

    ”We are able to put strategies in place.

    “All of us were able to identify a lot of other things we need to do to embark on advocacy and ensure that we communicate effectively and efficiently to citizens.

    ”That is why you see us giving out handbills in all of the major languages that we have in the country.

    ”There is a radio jingle being sent out to also communicate to people. I am also aware that there is a plan for advocacy on television stations as well.

    ”It is a people-driven initiative that we all agreed to live and to comport ourselves in a similar manner,” he said.

    According to Sanwo-Olu,  ” I am happy the security operatives and government are on the same page with this and we will also be going ahead with our plans”.

    He assured political parties in the state of adequate security in the ongoing primary elections, ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    Sanwo-Olu said the government and security agencies would ensure that primaries and delegates elections by political parties in different parts of the state had sufficient security coverage.

    ”We enjoin various political parties to approach the Lagos State Police Command to give them adequate security at various venues where they are conducting their various delegate and primary elections for various positions.

    ”It is purely to ensure that there are no gaps and that the security architecture of the state is not compromised in any way.

    “And our citizens can continue to live their lives and do their business without any fear or favour,” he said.

  • Mask-up Lagos: LCDAs to distribute 20,000 face masks to residents

    Mask-up Lagos: LCDAs to distribute 20,000 face masks to residents

    The authorities in Ayobo Ipaja and Agabado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State, say they would begin the distribution of 10,000 face masks respectively in their communities under the ‘Mask Up Campaign’ to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID -19).

    Mr Yusuf Shakiru, Executive Chairman of Ayobo LCDA in statement on Tuesday said the exercise was in compliance with the directive of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on wearing of face masks, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

    “We embarked on distribution of face masks to corroborate the governor’s directive of wearing face masks which is aimed at reducing the spread of the dreaded disease.

    “We commend the efforts of the governor toward the complete eradication of the raging virus in the state while we distribute 10,000 masks to different groups and stakeholders within Ayobo- Ipaja LCDA,” he said.

    The council chairman cautioned that the administration would not hesitate to take drastic actions against those who flouted the state government’s directive.

    Similarly, Dr Augustine Arogundade, Council Chairman, Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA said that over 10, 000 face masks have been distributed to various communities in the LCDA, to prevent further spread of the pandemic in the communities.

    Arogundade said the gesture would go a long way in preventing COVID-19 cases in the communities.

    “We are going to do more for our people, but our wish is that the people should make proper use of the masks as directed by the officials.

    “The government will not hesitate to punish any erring resident who flaunts the directives of wearing the face mask in the community,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Lagos state government announced plans to revert to full lockdown, if there was no improvement in adherence to the public health guidelines.

    The government said that in the first week of easing of the lockdown, there were reports of flagrant disregard for the earlier announced health guidelines, a move that could frustrate the government’s efforts to contain the virus.