The House of Representatives in Nigeria has passed a bill for a second reading that seeks to upgrade the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs).
If the bill becomes law, Lagos will increase its number of LGAs from 20 to 57, bringing the total number of LGAs in Nigeria from 774 to 811.
The LCDAs were initially created by President Bola Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos State governor (1999–2007), a move that led to a standoff with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who responded by withholding Lagos State’s federal allocations.
The bill, sponsored by Abiodun Faleke (Ikeja Federal Constituency) and 21 other lawmakers, proposes a constitutional amendment to officially recognize the LCDAs as LGAs.
The proposed legislation includes an alteration to the First Schedule, Section 3 of the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the additional councils. It also provides a detailed list of the affected areas, including Alimosho, Ikorodu, Ikeja, Mushin, and others.
Lawmakers argue that granting full LGA status to these councils will enhance governance and service delivery in Lagos State. However, the bill must still pass further legislative scrutiny before becoming law.
