Civil Society Organisation, Lagos State Civil Society Coalition and Concerned Lagosians, have urged the state House of Assembly not to abolish 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). Daily Trust reports that there is a bill in the house seeking to scrap the LCDAs created by President Bola Tinubu when he was governor of the state. […]

Civil Society Organisation, Lagos State Civil Society Coalition and Concerned Lagosians, have urged the state House of Assembly not to abolish 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

Daily Trust reports that there is a bill in the house seeking to scrap the LCDAs created by President Bola Tinubu when he was governor of the state.

The bill is in respect of the autonomy granted to the 774 local governments in Nigeria by the Supreme Court.

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“As you all aware of, we are gathered here today to address issues of great significance to our Lagos State, and your role in sharing the issues that form the text of our address with the public is invaluable. We thank you for your time, your dedication to truth, and your commitment to covering issues that impact the lives of everyday Lagosians.”

“Recently, as you all know, the Lagos State House of Assembly, led by the Rt. Hon. Mudashir Obasa, proposed a Bill to replace the existing Thirty Seven (37) Local Council Development Areas in the state with Area Administrative Councils. The Thirty Seven LCDAs, founded by President Bola Tinubu in 2003 when he was governor of Lagos State, is purposed by Obasa’s Bill as Area Administrative Councils to be administered and funded by the Local Government Areas under which they fall.

“Gentlemen and women of the Press, please, permit us to say a few words about the retrogressive Bill of Rt. Hon. Mudashir Obasa and the Lagos State House of Assembly which is aimed at abolishing the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State. This move threatens 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. However, Rt. Hon. Obasa’s proposed Bill would dismantle these structures, ostensibly under the claim that they are unconstitutional, despite the LCDAs’ success in fostering grassroots development and the judicial imprimatur given to them by the Supreme Court in 2004.

“The Lagos State Civil Society Coalition and Concerned Lagosians are opposed to the politically motivated Bill which represents an attempt to centralise and return power to local government councils that often struggle to meet the diverse needs of Lagos State’s vast and growing population. LCDAs have been particularly effective in providing more tailored services and infrastructure to areas that are otherwise be overlooked by local government councils. By proposing to abolish these entities, Rt. Hon. Mudashir Obasa risks reversing the gains made in local development, reducing citizen participation in governance, and stalling community-focused initiatives that improve the quality of life of Lagosians.

“If the bill succeeds, it would signal a significant regression for local governance in Lagos. It is our considered position, therefore, that the abolition of LCDAs will invariably create governance crises in communities where resources and attention are often stretched thin. Our fear and the fears of many Lagosians are that these communities would be left them without adequate representation, straining development and the already complex governance landscape of Lagos State. As concerned citizens and stakeholders, we insist on the preservation and empowerment of LCDAs as effective vehicles for grassroots governance and local empowerment.

“While we remain unequivocal in our opposition to Rt. Hon. Mudashir Obasa and his plan to abolish the LCDAs, we wish to remind the Speaker and the Lagos State House of Assembly that the LCDAs, created in 2003 under President Tinubu’s visionary leadership, have been the cornerstone of Lagos State’s decentralised governance, bringing government closer to the people, fostering grassroots development, and ensuring that essential services reach every community, no matter how remote. The proposed abolition Bill is not only a direct affront to President Tinubu’s legacy, but it also threatens to undermine decades of progress made in the state’s governance, infrastructure, and economic development.

“We, therefore, call on the Lagos State House of Assembly to immediately withdraw the proposed bill forthwith. We urge all members of the Assembly to reflect on the long-term consequences of this action and consider the voices of the people they represent.”