The National Assembly has been urged to create more Local government councils for Lagos to allow the state to meet its present population, social, economic, and environmental challenges.
Lagos-based socio-political activist, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, made the call, charging the Red Chamber to enact laws granting Lagos State a special status for being the nation’s commercial city and economic melting pot of the nation.
He recalled that in 1976 when the military government created states and local governments, Lagos and Kano states had the same 20 councils each.
“Later, Kano State Councils increased to 44, while Lagos councils remained at 20. When Abacha government carved out Jigawa State out of Kano State, Jigawa got 27 local governments while Kano still having 44 councils.
“It is an injustice for Lagos State to remain with only 20 local councils till today, despite its gigantic social, security and economic problems,” Onitiri lamented.
Onitiri also recalled that when the then Governor of Lagos State, now Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu created 37 new additional councils in 1999, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo then President, seized Lagos State federal allocations for two years.
He said Lagos State through the then State Attorney-General, Professor Yemi Osinbajo sued the Federal Government. Lagos State Government won the case against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court.
He regretted that up till now, the National Assembly has not done the needful to enact a law to accommodate the 37 local councils created by Lagos State Government.
“Now that the National Assembly is making a law to create additional state for the people of South Eastern Nigeria, it is reasonable and fair and timely to create additional local governments for Lagos.
“In addition, the National Assembly must as a priority, enact a law to grant Lagos State special status as a former federal capital city of Nigeria in the interest of justice, fairness, and equity,” Onitiri appealed.
“We Democrats wish to applaud the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress NLC for accepting the minimum wage of N70k per month without leading to crisis. This is no doubt a patriotic move. This is the time to move our nation out of the economic calamity our country found herself,” he said.
The socio-political activist appealed to all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations to cooperate with President Tinubu and salvage to salvage the country.
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