The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the second reading of a bill seeking to upgrade Lagos State’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Sponsored by James Faleke, Babajimi Benson, Enitan Badru, and 19 other lawmakers, the proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Accommodate the Thirty-Seven (37) Development Area Councils of Lagos State as Full-Fledged Local Government Areas, Increasing the Total Number of Local Government Areas in the Federation to Eight Hundred and Eleven (811), and for Related Matters (HB. 1498),” aims to formally integrate the LCDAs into the Nigerian constitution.
If enacted, the bill would increase Nigeria’s total number of LGAs from 774 to 811, making Lagos the state with the highest number of local governments, surpassing Kano (44 LGAs) and Katsina (34 LGAs).
Proponents argue that the move would enhance governance by bringing administrative functions closer to residents. The 37 LCDAs were initially created by then-Governor Bola Tinubu in 2003 to improve local administration. However, the Lagos State House of Assembly is currently considering a separate bill that could replace the LCDAs with newly designated administrative areas.
The proposed constitutional amendment now awaits further legislative scrutiny before potential passage into law.
