Lagos Assembly Seeks Independent Financing Of Council Legislatures

Lagos State House of Assembly has called connected Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to prevail connected the state’s Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development to make a model for autarkic financing of section authorities legislatures.

The Assembly besides asked the politician to enactment assembly autonomy and guarantee capacity-building grooming for councillors connected fiscal management.

This solution followed a question by Hon. Sani Okanlawon connected Tuesday during a plenary presided implicit by the Speaker of the Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

The Speaker expressed interest implicit erstwhile assembly chairmen allegedly retaining fiscal power successful immoderate councils done Council Managers and Treasurers who stay signatories to accounts adjacent aft enactment transitions.

Earlier successful his motion, Okanlawon discussed the request for councillors’ fiscal independency to fortify grassroots ideology and governance.

He restated that the 1999 Constitution recognises the legislative limb astatine the section authorities level arsenic a cardinal pillar of antiauthoritarian governance, saddled with law-making, oversight, and representation.

Okanlawon, however, noted that section authorities legislatures presently trust connected the enforcement subdivision for funding, a signifier that undermines separation of powers and exposes councillors to undue enforcement influence.

To code the issue, the Assembly directed its Committee connected Local Government Administration, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development to statesman enacting a self-accounting instrumentality for the legislative arms of the councils.

Other lawmakers supported the motion. Hon. Solomon Bonu (Badagry I) commended President Bola Tinubu for strengthening grassroots democracy. At the aforesaid time, Hon. Desmond Elliot stressed that the Assembly’s betterment efforts would beryllium incomplete without granting autonomy to section authorities legislatures.

Hon. Akinsanya Nureni added that fiscal autonomy would empower institutions to relation responsibly without outer interference, noting that the Lagos Assembly continues to pb by illustration successful legislative practice.