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The members of the Lagos State Assembly asked for financial autonomy for the legislative weapons of local governments (LG) and the development areas of the local council (LCDA) throughout the state.
The call was made during the plenary session on Tuesday 16 September, chaired by the speaker, RT Hon Mudashu Obasa.
The motion, entitled “ask for financial independence for the legislative weapons of the areas of the local government and the LCDA in Lagos”, was introduced by the Hon. Sanni Babunde, president of the Commission for the administration of the local government, the boss’s affairs and the rural development.
Hon. Babaunde stressed that the legislative arm at local level plays a crucial role in the democratic framework of Nigeria, with constitutional responsibilities for legal representation, supervision and legal college.
Contributing to the discussion, Hon. OBAFEMI Saheed stressed that the 1999 Constitution underlines the separation of powers, stating that the concession of autonomy at local level would improve representation, supervision and independence, aligning it with state and federal practices. He argued that these measures would favor good government pursuant to.
Hon. Temitope Adwale, Oon, who supported the motion, underlined that the councilors perform functions comparable to those of state legislators. He expressed concern about the fact that many leaders of the Council often face an undue influence by the presidents of the local government due to their financial dependence. He proposed that training for the legislative leaders of the local government should lead to cooperation between the Ministry of the Local Government and the Chamber of the Lagos State Assembly.
Further intuitions were shared by the Hon. Bonu Solomon, who praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing financial autonomy to local governments through allocations directed by the Federation account, which according to what reported their operational efficiency. He insisted that such financial independence should also be granted to local legislative bodies.
Hon. Aro Moshood has added that the enhancement of local government legislatures is essential for effective governance, suggesting that legislators should actively observe local legislative sessions to understand the issues addressed by the councilors without autonomy.
Legislators decided to urge Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olim to educate the local Ministry of the Government, Chieftancy’s affairs and rural development to formulate a strategy for the independent financing of legislative councils within the Lagos State.
The speaker Obasa echoed to the importance of financial independence for the councilors to effectively carry out their supervision roles. He noticed the major allocations to local governments and underlined the need to enhance the basic legislatures to maintain adequate controls and balances for the benefit of citizens.
The Chamber decided to instruct the Commissioner of the Ministry of the Local Government, the Affairs of Chieftancy and the Rural Development to give priority to the training and development programs of the current skills for financial management councilors, budgets and legislative practices. They also urged the ministry to pursue the issuance of a law of self that would have guaranteed financial autonomy for legislative weapons in all local governments and LCDA.
