The House of Representatives has approved a constitutional amendment bill seeking to upgrade Lagos State’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The bill, one of 42 constitutional amendments passed on Wednesday, aims to increase Lagos’ local government count from 20 to 57, making it the state with the highest number of LGAs in Nigeria.
Sponsored by Hon. James Abiodun Faleke (Ikeja Federal Constituency), Hon. Babajimi Benson (Ikorodu Federal Constituency), and Hon. Enitan Dolapo Badru (Lagos Island I Federal Constituency), along with 19 other lawmakers, the proposal seeks to address Lagos’ growing administrative and infrastructural needs.
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),” the bill successfully scaled its second reading during a plenary session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
If fully enacted, Nigeria’s total number of LGAs will rise from 774 to 811, with Lagos surpassing Kano and Katsina, which currently have 44 and 34 LGAs, respectively.
Supporters of the bill argue that granting full LGA status to the LCDAs would bring governance closer to the people, improving service delivery and resource allocation in the state. The 37 LCDAs were originally created in 2003 under then-Governor Bola Tinubu.
However, the Lagos State House of Assembly is also working on a separate bill that could restructure the 37 LCDAs into newly designated administrative areas, adding another layer of complexity to the proposed transition.
The bill will now move forward in the legislative process, with further debates and approvals required before becoming law.
