The House of Representatives is set to create 37 additional Local Government Areas for Lagos State.
This is contained in a bill that seeks to convert the 37 Local Development Area Councils to full-fledged Local Government Areas.
If successful passed and assented to, Lagos would have a total of 57 local government councils — the largest in the country.
It will also increase the total number of local councils in the country from 774 to 811.
Abiodun Faleke (Lagos, APC) and 21 others sponsored the bill which was passed for a second reading.
The bill proposes that the Constitution should “allow for the accommodation of the 37 Development Area Councils of Lagos State to operate as full-fledged Local Government Areas, to bring the total of 57 numbers of Local Government Areas in Lagos State and that of the Federation to eight hundred and eleven (811) numbers.”
Clause 3 of the bill also prposes to amend the First Schedule – Section 3, Part 1, Item 24 (Lagos State Local Government Areas) “State – Lagos Capital City – Ikeja, Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagary, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ajaye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ojo, Oshodi-lsolo, Shomolu, Surulere.
The lawmakers proposed in Clause 4 the alteration of the First Schedule – Section 3, Part 1, Item 24 (Lagos State Local Government Areas), “State – Lagos Capital City – Ikeja; Agege, Orile-Agege, Ajeromi, Ifelodun, Alimosho, Agbado, Oke-Odo, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbe-Idimu, Igando-Ikotun, Mosan-Okunola, Amuwo-Odofin, Oriade, Apapa, Apapa-Iganmu, Badagary, Badagary West, Olorunda, Epe, Eredo, Kosi-Ejinrin, Eti-Osa East, Eu-Osa West, Iru Victoria Island, Ikoyi-Obalande, Ibeju, Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ojokoro, Ikeja, Ojodu, Onigbongbon, Ikorodu, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Imota, Ijede, Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Kosofe, Ikosi-Isheri, Agboyi-Ketu, Lagos Island West, Lagos Island East, Lagos Mainland, Yaba, Mushin, Odi-Olowo, Ojo, Oto Awori, Iba, Shomolu, Bariga, Oshodi, Ejigbo, Isolo, Surulere, Coker Aguda, Itire-Ikate.”
President Bola Tinubu when he was governor between 1999 and 2007, created the 37 development areas — leading to protracted confrontation with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who then suspended the state’s LGs federal allocations.
