President Bola Tinubu has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of aborting grassroots improvement by opposing the creation of Native Council Improvement Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State a few years in the past.
Tinubu disclosed this throughout his first Presidential Media Chat (PMC) in Lagos on Monday evening.
Reflecting on his tenure as governor of Lagos State within the early 2000s, Tinubu highlighted the challenges he confronted in his bid to reinforce native governance by the creation of 37 LCDAs within the State however was met with stiff opposition by the federal government on the centre below Obasanjo.
“At the moment, we’ve got autonomy for native authorities. A few of you’ll bear in mind my lamentation and my argument with Obasanjo in regards to the want for grassroots improvement after I created 37 native council improvement areas for Lagos State,” Tinubu stated.
The president defended the initiative, citing its transformative influence. “Go there now, you will notice improvement, you will notice speedy contact with the folks on the grassroots. That’s the place folks dwell; they aren’t residing with me in Abuja, besides bureaucrats,” he added.
Tinubu additionally took the chance to stress his administration’s dedication to shifting Nigeria ahead regardless of challenges. “Nicely, I’ll say I’m drawing water from a dry effectively, and Nigeria is shifting ahead,” he remarked.
LEADERSHIP remembers that in Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor, the creation of LCDAs was a response to the state’s rising inhabitants and the necessity for extra environment friendly native governance. Nevertheless, the initiative sparked a serious battle with the federal authorities below the then President Obasanjo, which questioned the legality of the brand new administrative items outdoors the constitutionally recognised 774 LGAs.
In retaliation, the federal authorities withheld funds earmarked for native governments in Lagos State, inflicting monetary pressure on grassroots improvement. The dispute grew to become a litmust check for Nigeria’s federalism because it escalated to the Supreme Court docket, which dominated in favour of Lagos State, ordering the discharge of the withheld funds.
Regardless of the court docket’s verdict, the federal authorities delayed the disbursement, additional compounding the challenges confronted by native governments within the State on the time.
