Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, has called on local government chairmen and their deputies to prioritise delivering tangible benefits of democracy to their constituents.
Speaking at a summit of local government chairmen, vice chairmen, council leaders, and majority leaders on Thursday at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium, Obasa stressed that elected officials must never lose sight of the fact that their mandate comes directly from the people.
The summit brought together leaders of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State.
Obasa reminded participants that the survival and relevance of local governments depend largely on the state House of Assembly, which has enacted critical laws, including those establishing the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the Office of the Auditor-General, and frameworks empowering councillors to discharge their duties.
He said, “The house is ready to work with the local governments. We strongly believe that we are one and that we are members of the same family, which is why we must work together. We are not going to witch hunt any local government. We are here to encourage you. We are members of the same family and so we must be able to talk to one another. ”
“The most important thing to us is the people because your mandate is from them. How do we serve them, we keep saying that our votes are dwindling, who are the closest to the people, it is the local governments. ”
“If the structure is well maintained, our achievements would be great. Let us change our mentality. Some of us were vice chairmen, now you are chairmen, what are you doing differently? Even councillors too should work with their chairmen. Support your chairmen, if they offend you, settle with them behind closed doors.”
He further said that if there is any issue, the vice chairmen should go and see their chairmen rather than being selfish or harassing them.
Obasa also advised the chairmen to discuss with people in the Community Development Areas (CDAs) and those in the Community Development Committee (CDCs).
He revealed that he is still living in his ward because he was able to achieve even as a councillor, while also urging the vice chairmen to be close to their chairmen.
He said; “If the chairman fails to do what you want, you can come to the state house of assembly, we will resolve it. You can come and meet me or send messages to me. We must learn to work together, that is where our successes and achievements lie.
‘We cannot continue to have low votes because you are responsible for it. You in the local governments should be available to the people and there must be constant interactions with the people and community leaders.
“You can come up with your own helpful and impactful ideas. Go and design your own programmes. Local Government is not for ‘akada’ people or else you can resign and go for corporate jobs.
“Let us do something different in our local governments. You can help those who have malaria or women who want to give birth. You can come up with maternity centres. You can beautify your environment with trees. We are here to support you and change gear when the time comes.
“I was the Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for six years and I never went to any local government unless they invited me for events. Is it now that I will come to you for money?
The Speaker recalled that they increased the number of years of local governments chairmen from three years to four years unlike what is happening in other states of the federation. He stated that if that does not work, they will change it to two or three years.
He then told them to do the right thing that they will not regret, adding that they have just started.
“Use government money to do good things for the people. Let us help out children and the people around us. Ensure you have a park within your first year in office. You should also have sports centers. How many football stars or athletes have you produced in your area? We will organise seminars for the councillors so that they would have a better understanding of what they are doing,” said Obasa.
In his response, the Chairman of Conferences 57, the Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Hon. Sesan Olowa, pledged that the council chairmen would work harmoniously with stakeholders and the councillors to entrench grassroots development.
Olowa also said that they would continue to improve on the development of the local councils, adding that they would keep doing their best for the people.