Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has expressed concerns that the proposed law to abolish the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State may hinder grassroots development.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence, highlighted that the bill titled “A Bill for a Law to Provide for Local Government’s System, Establishment and Administration” aims to consolidate existing laws on local government administration.
During a public hearing on the bill, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, represented by Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda, noted that the proposed law would repeal the Local Government Administration Law of 2015 and its 2016 amendment. The bill seeks to replace the current 37 LCDAs with Area Administrative Councils.
Obanikoro acknowledged the good intentions behind the bill but argued that scrapping the LCDAs for Area Administrative Councils is unnecessary at this time. He warned that such a change could undermine the functions for which the LCDAs were originally established 21 years ago.
He also criticized the limited publicity surrounding the public hearing, urging lawmakers to consider stakeholders’ input to enhance the bill’s effectiveness.
“The problems we have at the local level are deep and profound, and we should take local government issues as seriously as possible,” he stated. “For our nation to grow, this tier of government must bring out the best in all of us, not just the crumbs we seem to be settling for.”