Lagos local government bill passed, awaiting assent

Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa

Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa

Eromosele Ebhomele

Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa
Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa

Members of the Lagos state House of Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to amend the Lagos state local government administration law and forwarded it to the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, for assent.

The bill was passed by the House days after a public hearing where former Speaker of the House, Jokotola Pelumi, noted that the amendment was long overdue reminding the stakeholders that the soul of local government system rests with the state Assembly.

The members passed the bill, which was laid by the chairman of the Committee on Local Government Administration and Community Affairs, Kazeem Alimi, and after it scaled a third reading.

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The law titled: “The Local Government (Administration) (Amendment) Law 2016” makes provision for a one year tenure elongation for council chairmen and councillors. Thus, these elected officers would now spend four years in office instead of the previous three years.

Section 24A(1) of the law states: “the House of Assembly may after necessary investigation pass a resolution by simple majority of members for the removal or suspension of any chairman, vice chairman or elected official of any local government area or local council development area in the interest of peace, order and good government of the state.

Its subsection 2 states: “the resolution of the House of Assembly passed in accordance with subsection (1) above shall be communicated to the governor for implementation

Its subsection 3 also states: “where the governor fails to communicate his removal within 14 days of the notification of the resolution stated in subsection 1 of this section, the House of Assembly may by 2/3 majority of members pass a resolution removing or suspending such chairman, vice chairman or any elected official and such resolution shall take immediate effect.”

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