Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, provided clarification on Monday about the dispute over the state’s local council development areas.

The legislature was draughting a measure to replace the state’s 37 LCDAs with Area Administrative Councils, according to a PUNCH story last Thursday.

A public hearing was held on Thursday to discuss a bill that would consolidate all laws pertaining to local government administration and related purposes and provide for the system, establishment, and administration of local government.

On Monday, though, the assembly decided to hold another public hearing on the issue.

Lawal Pedro, the state attorney general, was also asked to provide an interpretation of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on local governments’ financial autonomy.

Obasa presided over a meeting on Monday when the resolutions were adopted.

According to Obasa, the goal of the LG Administration legislation revision was to reinforce the LCDAs rather than do away with them.

“I agree that we should set up a second day for the public hearing,” the Speaker stated, adding that he had received a tonne of calls from individuals who were curious about what had happened to the LCDAs.

“The LDCAs will not be eliminated. Instead, we are attempting to examine the recent Supreme Court ruling about the joint account of Lagos and local governments and devise a method wherein the LDCAs and the parent local governments collaborate without sacrificing the LDCAs,” he continued.

The Speaker also concurred that the LCDAs’ official listing by the National Assembly must be worked on.

“Jigawa was established and has 27 local governments out of Kano, which has 44,” he stated as he recommended that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission reconsider the revenue-sharing system.

During his report on the public hearing held earlier by the committee, Sanni Okanlawon, the chairman of the Committee on Local Government, mentioned that a large number of the stakeholders who were invited to the event were unable to attend.

As he prayed for the House to approve a second designated day for the exercise, he blamed the low turnout on the day’s weather.

Ladi Ajomale, his colleague, backed Okanlawon’s plea, stating: “Many people are saying they do not understand what is going on and maybe the government is trying to wipe some people out of the local government system.”

In order to convince the higher legislative that the LDCAs need to be recognised as legitimate local governments, he also advocated for improved cooperation and communication with the National Assembly.

Desmond Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency 1, stated that it was essential to push for the LCDAs’ listing due to Lagos’s magnitude in terms of population and economic significance to Nigeria.

“With 21 local governments, Anambra State is vastly inferior to Lagos in terms of resources, economic significance, and democratic dividends,” he stated.