Wale Jagun
Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs to ensure that Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas political office holders’ remuneration and other welfare packages are realised in line with the realities of their revenues and capabilities.
This is sequel to the recommendations of the 9-Man Ad hoc Committee comprising of 3 representatives each of Council Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Council Leaders to look into various complaints bothering on remuneration and other welfare issues raised by political office holders.
Hon. Olawale Olayiwola, prime mover of the motion, in his remarks disclosed that despite the statutory attempt to address the issue of welfare of political office holders, there still exists a lot of disparity in the salary and other welfare packages of political office holders of the same status across the Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas in the state when compared with the Revenue Mobilization and Funds Allocation Committee (RMFAC) and reasonable practice across board.
He narrated crises at Surulere Local Government Council bothering on complaints of insensitivity on welfare of the councillors in the local government.
The Mushin Constituency 11 representative did explain stated that the agreement freely entered into by the accredited representatives of the 3 categories of the political office holders of the LGs in the State which has been presented before the House of Assembly as part of the recommendations of the 9-Man Ad Hoc Committee is yet to be acted upon by the councils.
Noting the importance and efforts of the 8th Assembly at improving the Local Government Administration in the State, the House also resolved that the Committee on Local Government Administration be mandated to monitor implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.
In another development, the House had the third reading of the Land Use Charge (Amendment) Bill, 2020 titled “A Bill for a Law to Amend the Land Use Charge Law 2018 and for Connected Purposes”.
Consequently, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni to communicate the proceedings of the House to the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
