Lagos Lawmakers implore LG Chairmen to mplement the manifesto of the party

As long as they remain in the saddle, chairmen of the 20 Local Government Councils and the 37 Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State would not know peace until they implement the manifesto of the party under which they were elected and meet the expectations of the people of their areas.

This was the pronouncement of the state House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs yesterday after it visited five of the six councils in Alimosho area of the state.

The councils visited by the committee members as part of their oversight function include Alimosho, Egbe-Idimu, Ikotun-Igando, Mosan-Okunola and Ayobo-Ipaja.

Speaking on their assessment of the councils, the Chairman of the Committee, Olarenwaju Oshun, on behalf of the members, explained that though the chairmen have been making efforts to fulfill their campaign promises judging by the opinions of the people in their areas and the assessment of the lawmakers, they will not be allowed to rest until the committee is satisfied that they have met the yearning of those who voted for them.

Oshun said that the Committee would not condone any practice that is considered anti-people or against good governance as he further challenged the Community Development Committees (CDCs) in the various council areas to put the chairmen and their councillors on their toes.

“We are going to be on their toes and we won’t give them a minute rest until they carry their people to the promise land so that by the next time we come to the electorate for their votes, they will not only be proud of us, but will willingly give us their votes with love.

“Like we all agreed in most of the local government councils visited, there is room for improvement. To be honest with you, the chairmen are currently doing well and we have discovered that they are not too far from the communities around them and from those who voted them into power.

“Within the three months they have spent, we can see things they have done in Ayobo-Ipaja, we can see how the chairman started from the scratch to get to the current level. In Mosan-Okunola, the community even attested to the fact that he has done well.

“There is room for improvement no doubt, but it shows that the chairmen are working in tandem with the policy of the state Governor Babatunde Fashola to move the state to the next level,” the lawmaker said.

While tasking the people on payment of tax, he said with what the council chairmen and the state government have accomplished so far, the state would not be the same at the end of the year if they continue with the pace of work.

The council chairmen are about three months old in the saddle.

As part of its oversight functions, the committee engaged in the inspection of the council secretariats and offices.

They also assessed the projects earmarked to be executed this year and the running of the councils.

The members have said they are not out to witch-hunt anyone, but to give praises where possible and reprimand where any of the chairmen errs.

Oshun warned the chairmen who have on-going projects in their areas to ensure their speedy completion before the committee visits again.