Lagos Assembly Suspends Three Council Chairmen

The Lagos Assembly has suspended three local government chairmen for alleged disregard for official guidelines.

The suspended chairmen are Ogidan Olaitan (Lekki Local Council Development Area); Suleiman Jelili (Alimosho) and Tajudeen Ajide (Surulere).

The Assembly said it could no longer watch the chairmen flout local government guidelines.

Their suspension was unanimously approved in a voice vote after Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho I) raised a complaint against Olaitan.

Yusuff, who chairs the Committee on Commerce and Industry, accused Olaitan of unruly behaviour and disregard for the Assembly.

According to him, Olaitan accused the lawmakers of carrying out an oversight function on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) over an issue that arose from a resettlement programme in Lekki.

He added the chairman disregards his constituents and being a lawyer makes his actions more insulting to true governance and respect for authority.

Fatai Mojeed (Ibeju-Lekki I) said Jelili and Ajide questioned the rationale for their investigation.

He urged the House to suspend the chairmen pending the outcome of investigations on the allegations made against them to deter others.

Reacting, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said the Assembly had received petitions from many councillors in the councils against some chairmen.

Obasa said: “Total disregard for local government guidelines should not be tolerated. We cannot continue like this; we can’t be breeding monsters in our local government councils.

“We have received many petitions from councillors against many chairmen; this is the time to take action.”

He then directed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to write to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other stakeholders about the House’s decision.