President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday night alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo aborted grassroots development by opposing the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State during his second term in office (2003 – 2007).
Tinubu disclosed this during his maiden Presidential Media Chat (PMC) in Lagos where he reflected on his tenure as governor of Lagos State in the early 2000s.
He identified the challenges he encountered in his bid to improve local governance through the creation of 37 LCDAs in the State but was met with stiff opposition from Obasanjo.
“Today, we have autonomy for local government. Some of you will remember my lamentation and my argument with Obasanjo about the need for grassroots development when I created 37 local council development areas for Lagos State,” Tinubu said.
He defended the bold initiative at the time, citing its transformative impact today.
“Go there now, you will see development, you will see rapid contact with the people at the grassroots. That is where people live; they are not living with me in Abuja, except bureaucrats,” he said.
The Daily Crucible reports that during Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor on the platform of the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD), he created 37 Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs) in 2003 but the action elicited a stiff resistance from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo – led People Democratic Party (PDP) controlled Government at the Centre.
While Tinubu in his reckoning created the additional Councils to drive development faster and closer to the grassroots as well as address the challenges of population surge, the then President Obasanjo, responded by seizing the allocations meant for the local governments in Lagos State on the grounds that the new councils dented the integrity of the old 20 local governments recognised by the law and Constitution.
The impasse caused financial strain on grassroots development in Lagos and this became a subject of litigation up to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of Lagos State, directing the release of the withheld funds but the Obasanjo – led federal government didn’t budge. It was his predecessor, Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua that eventually released the withheld funds.
President Tinubu however used the avenue of the media chat to assure Nigerians that 2025 will usher in economic prosperity and growth.
Tinubu also thanked Nigerians for the confidence reposed in him to serve them, also assuring that he understands their plight, even as he further sought their support and patience in taking the country to the path of genuine progress.
He said: “2025 is a very promising year. Let me thank Nigerians for having confidence in me to be the president of the federal Republic of Nigeria. I’m very proud of that.
“I don’t want you to think that I will take it for granted at any given time. It is all about service. I will do it with all my heart. I seek your cooperation all the time.
“I seek your understanding, I understand the trouble you’ve been through. The economic problems.
“It is just 18-month I’ve taken the reign. We’ll maintain focus. Let’s believe in ourselves and in our country, tomorrow will bring a glorious dawn.”
