Lagos Assembly suspends three council chairmen over alleged insubordination

The Lagos State House of Assembly has suspended three local council chairmen for alleged insubordination and “disregard for the guidelines governing their activities.”

The suspension letters signed by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa on Tuesday, noted that the Assembly “can no longer continue to watch while the council chairmen stubbornly flout the state’s local government guidelines.”

The chairmen slammed with the suspension were those of Lekki LCDA, Ogidan Mukandasi Olaitan, Suleiman Jelili of Alimosho local government area and the Chairman of Surulere local government area, Tajudeen Ajide.

The suspension was unanimously approved by members of the House in a voice vote with no opposition, shortly after a member, Bisi Yusuff, representing Alimosho 1 state constituency and the chairman of the House Committee on Commerce and Industry, raised a complaint against Olaitan on how rude he had been.

Yusuff had complained that Olaitan often accused the lawmakers of carrying out oversight functions on a memorandum of understanding in relation to the issue that arose from a resettlement programme in Lekki of being ignorant of their jobs.

He further said the council chairman had total disregard for those in his domain who elected him.

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Yusuff added that Olaitan’s actions, even as a lawyer, was an insult to true governance and respect for the authority.

Another lawmaker, Fatai Mojeed, (Ibeju-Lekki 1), who supported the motion, named Jelili and Ajide as having issues against them that are being investigated, and urged the House to suspend the chairmen pending the outcome of investigations and to serve as a deterrent to others.

Obasa, while speaking on the issue, noted that the House had received petitions from many councillors in the state against sitting chairmen, adding that the House can no longer watch while council chairmen flout the laws they were supposed to uphold.

“Total disregard for the local government guideline is something that should not be tolerated.

“We cannot continue like this. We can’t be breeding monsters in our local government councils.

“This House will not gloss over the issue as it would be creating a precedence of disobedience to the law by council chairmen especially at a time the state is planning elections for new council chairmen.

“This (suspension) will also serve as a deterrent. We have received many petitions from councillors,” Obasa lamented.

By Isaac Dachen

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