A senior advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba has criticised the Lagos State Assembly’s Local Government Administration Bill, which proposes establishing an Office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, Agbakoba called the proposal unconstitutional, noting that the Supreme Court’s ruling grants financial autonomy to local governments, free from state control. “Creating this Auditor-General position contradicts the Supreme Court’s decision,” he said.
He urged the Assembly to focus on developing Lagos, saying, “Don’t they see Dubai? Are they not looking at even Saudi Arabia? Why would they want to compound themselves with an additional responsibility of auditing local government funds?”
He also questioned why the Lagos State Government and other state governments feel the need to take on the responsibilities of local governments when they already have plenty of their own work to handle. The lawyer urged state governments to leave local government matters alone and instead focus on providing education, infrastructure, and other essential services expected of them.
