Against Redundancy In Lagos LG Administration

P.M.NEWS reviews the efforts of the Lagos State House of Assembly to ensure effective administration in the third tier of government

As members of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs filed into the waiting bus at the Assembly complex for a visitation to local government councils in the state that first week of February, this year, they were resolute that it would no longer be business as usual for the council chairmen.

Of course, that visit could be said to have made the chairmen, especially those of them caught unawares by the visit, to sit up. They are now prepared for the return of the lawmakers to the councils, which Assembly Matters learnt would begin in the next few days.

Before embarking on the last trip which took the Committee members to all the councils in the state, there had been complaints by residents that most of the local government chairmen had refused to touch the lives of the people by fulfilling their campaign promises. In fact, it was believed that the councils had become a drain pipe through which funds were siphoned.

Like other Nigerians, many of the residents called for the scrapping of that tier of government and replacing it with a more formidable structure that would meet the goal for which the local governments was created.

The coldness of the people towards local government administration also became manifest with the poor turnout of voters in election of council chairmen and councillors in the state. Then there was the fear that if nothing urgent was done by the lawmakers, it could become tougher convincing residents of the state to come out and cast their votes in the next council election.

The Committee Chairman, Moshood Oshun, said his team was not out to witch-hunt any council chairman but to praise them where they have done well and reprimand them where they are found to have done poorly.

He said that apart from the need to complement the efforts of the state government at developing the state, whatever achievement they make would further boost the image of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Armed with this intention, the Committee set out to work. For the members, the visitation was worth it as it made them see the good, the bad and the ugly sides of local government administration in the state.

While many of the councils proudly showcased their achievements, others simply reeled out complaints including lack of funds to carry out projects. One of the council chairmen (name withheld) burst into tears while speaking with the lawmakers concerning the activities of his council and the challenges he had faced.

In another council, the Council Manager was discovered to have taken over the job of the chairman thereby hindering every effort by the latter to contribute to the development of the area. He was immediately transferred through the influence of the Committee.

Another council chairman, who would not forget the visit in a hurry is Afolabi Sofola, the Chairman of Kosofe Local Government. He realised that the Committee was serious when the members walked out on him for informing them that he was not prepared for their visit.

He later apologised and went out to work. Today, he has been described by the Committee as one of the most hard-working of the council chairmen in the state.

At the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat, the Committee threatened to shut down the building because it was dilapidated. The building has now been renovated and the council beautified.

Another shocking discovery by the Committee was that in one of the councils, councillors had no offices. In fact, one of them told the Committee that he and his colleagues often sat under the trees within the council secretariat.

This was not a cheering news especially as the situation was the same in some other councils. It was even more worrisome that supervisory councillors, who were mere appointees of the chairmen had befitting offices while the councillors, whose duties are almost synonymous with those of the state legislators, had to sit either under trees or where they were allocated office at all, two or three of them will be sharing an office.

In a particular council, the councillors used the council chamber for sittings as well as their office.

Oshun, like every other member of the Committee, said the situation was unacceptable and warned that the affected council chairmen must find a way to resolve the problem as it posed a challenge to effective running of the system.

Just as the Committee slammed some for not meeting expectations, it commended others for a job well done.

Most of those commended were chairmen of some of the 37 Local Council Development Areas. Many of them now have sprawling structures as their council secretariat. According to the Committee members, most of them have also provided some basic amenities desired by the people.

Those that won the admiration of the lawmakers included Ibeju Lekki LCDA, Bariga LCDA, Oshodi/Isolo LCDA, Oshodi LGA, Yaba LCDA and Orile-Agege LCDA.

The lawmakers particularly singled out Ibeju Lekki and Oshodi/Isolo LCDA for their outstanding performances within their first one hundred days in office.

While the Committee carried out its oversight function, Oshun told the chairmen that, “there is no doubt that Governor Babatunde Fashola is performing at the state level, so we want the councils, being the closest to the people, to complement what Fashola is doing at the local level, because that is where the impact would be felt most.

“The essence is to put the chairmen and the councils on their feet so that the people will not think twice about voting for Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the next elections. We also want to put the chairmen on their toes, to let them know that we are watching them to make sure that every kobo collected by them is judiciously spent.”

As a result of this, the Committee has decided that in this second visit, the chairmen must account for every fund they have spent  especially with regard to projects they have executed or claimed to have executed.

The visit, it had been learnt, would also take members of the Committee to all the councils for an on-the-spot assessment of the projects they have embarked on or claimed to have executed in the last one year.

As the chairman of the Committee put it, “this visit is to further make them realise that we mean what we have said and that our party must not find it difficult seeking supports during elections in the future. Whoever is found wanting in this area will definitely face the wrath of the House.”

 —Eromosele Ebhomele