The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a second reading of a bill that, if enacted, will convert the 37 Local Development Area Councils (LCDAs) in Lagos State into full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGs). This legislative action would increase Lagos’s LG count from 20 to 57, raising the national total from 774 to 811 LGs.
The 37 LCDAs were originally established by President Bola Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007. The creation of these LCDAs once sparked a confrontation between Tinubu and then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, leading to the seizure of Lagos State’s federal allocations.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Constitution to recognize the 37 LCDAs as LGs, was jointly sponsored by Abiodun Faleke, the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in Lagos State, along with 21 other members of the House.
Clause 3 of the bill proposes changes to the First Schedule – Section 3, Part 1, Item 24 (Lagos State Local Government Areas) to reflect the new administrative structure “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.”
Similarly, Clause 4 outlines further alterations to update the list of LGs in Lagos State.
Should the bill become law, Lagos State’s administrative framework will shift significantly, affecting the distribution of federal resources and local governance structures across the state.
