By Latiifah Amusan
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has delivered a stern warning to local government chairmen, vice chairmen, councilors, and other top officials in the state.
He declared that the era of misappropriating funds intended for local development is over.
At separate meetings with the council officials, Speaker Obasa emphasized that the Assembly will now closely monitor their activities to ensure they execute at least one project per quarter to address the needs and desires of their constituents.
Reports available to the House revealed that some council chairmen have not met the expectations of their communities, prompting Speaker Obasa to declare that it will no longer be “business as usual” in the local councils.
The Assembly will enforce strict compliance with the mandate to serve the interests of the people.
The speaker expressed deep concern over the aloofness exhibited by these public officeholders, highlighting the discrepancy between personalizing monthly allocations and the pressing need for infrastructure and development initiatives in their communities.
Speaker Obasa also noted that local government officials in Lagos enjoy four-year terms, making it even more disheartening that some chairmen have failed to undertake meaningful projects within their communities.
He raised questions about the absence of legislative chambers in some councils, hindering proper governance and accountability.
The speaker said,
“I wonder how you sleep with your eyes closed while your council cannot even build and equip a good maternity center. You can’t justify the fact that in six months, there is no meaningful project done by you in your community.
“Some councils have no single project for over two years, you treat the vice chairmen and councilors like they must be subservient even when you are going astray. Some of your councilors have not received official vehicles up till now.
“Some of your councils do not have legislative chambers, meaning that the councilors have not been holding sittings. How then do you get approvals for the money you spend”.
