ALERT: Lagos Assembly Moves To Sanction Estates Locking Street Gates. Here’s Why

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Lagos State House of Assembly has taken preliminary steps to sanction estates which lock their street gates.

They made the move during a plenary session on Thursday.

Hon. Olusegun Ege (Ojo 1) proposed that the House address the issue of some estates in the state that lock their gates because their actions lead to traffic congestion and other problems.

The lawmakers also discussed the need to regulate the access restrictions put in place by certain estates in the State.

His colleagues agreed that such actions must be monitored and controlled.

In his contribution, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Noheem Adams, shared an incident from a recent oversight function on healthcare in the state, where they were denied entry into some estates.

He noted that these estates also have ongoing legal issues related to elections held within their premises and have not been granting access to government officials.

Some of the lawmakers suggested that the House review the laws governing residents associations as they are currently guided by Community Development Association (CDA) laws.

In a related development, the Lagos Assembly called for the review of administrative guidelines for Local Governments (LG) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in order to ensure effective governance in relation to societal advancement.

The call, supported by Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, emphasises the assembly’s responsibility to make and update laws as needed.

Hon. Sanni Okanlawon, Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government and Community Relations, who raised the matter, highlighted the importance of reviewing the laws that govern local government and LCDAs to align them with current realities.

Okanlawon expressed concern over reports of illegal acquisition of chieftaincy titles without proper guidelines just as he urged his colleagues to support the review of the administrative guidelines to promote good governance.

The lawmaker suggested that the number of supervisors and special advisers in local government councils should also be properly regulated.

During the session, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2) pointed out the inordinate way streets were named in Lagos.

He said in the past, streets were named after individuals who have made contributions to the development of their communities or the State. He suggested that this practice should be re-examined.