Lagos Assembly Pushes for Full Financial Autonomy for Local Government Legislatures
The Lagos State House of Assembly has advocated full financial autonomy for legislative arms of all local government councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
The Assembly urged the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development to develop a framework for independent budgeting for legislative councils and to enact a self-accounting law to guarantee financial autonomy at the grassroots.
It also called on the ministry to prioritise regular training and capacity-building for councillors on financial management, budgeting processes and legislative best practices.
The resolutions followed a motion moved during Tuesday’s plenary by Hon. Babatunde Okanlawon (Kosofe 1) titled, “Need to Grant Financial Autonomy to the Legislative Arm of the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in the State.”
Okanlawon stressed that the legislative arm at the grassroots is a vital component of Nigeria’s democratic governance, constitutionally charged with law-making, oversight and representing the people within their constituencies.
Contributing to the debate, Hon. Obafemi Saheed said the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly upholds the principle of separation of powers and that autonomy at the local level would strengthen representation, oversight and independence, in line with practices at the state and federal tiers of government.
Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako-Ijaiye 1) added that the functions of councillors mirror those of state legislators, lamenting that many council leaders are often subject to undue control by local government chairmen due to financial dependence. He suggested that training for local government legislative leaders should involve the leadership of the House in addition to the ministry.
Hon. Bonu Solomon (Badagry 1) commended President Bola Tinubu for granting financial autonomy to local governments through direct allocation from the federation account, noting that it had improved performance at the grassroots. He argued that the same measure must be extended to local legislative arms to ensure accountability and smooth democratic processes.
Hon. Aro Moshood (Ikorodu 2) also supported the motion, saying autonomy was necessary for effective grassroots governance and urging lawmakers to visit local councils to observe legislative sessions and the challenges councillors face without financial independence.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, emphasised that councillors must enjoy financial independence to effectively discharge their oversight duties. He noted that with the recent increase in allocations to local governments, empowering the legislature at the grassroots was crucial to ensuring proper checks and balances in the interest of the people.
