Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, has urged the National Assembly to accord Lagos a fair deal by officially recognising its 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and granting the state a special status in the Nigerian Constitution.
The governor made the appeal at the South-West Zonal Public Hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, held in Lagos.
Represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu said it was unjust that Lagos — despite being the nation’s commercial hub and carrying the socio-economic burden of several other states — continues to be denied special consideration in national development frameworks.
“Lagos and Kano were created in 1967. But in 1991, Jigawa was carved out of Kano. Today, Kano has 44 local governments and Jigawa has 27. Lagos remains with only 20. Is that fair?” he asked.
He called on the National Assembly to enshrine the 37 LCDAs established by the state since 2000 into the constitution, likening them to a 25-year-old child still without a birth certificate.
“This issue of special status for Lagos is not peculiar. In countries like Brazil and Indonesia, former capitals still receive special attention. When you move a capital, you don’t abandon the place you left behind,” Sanwo-Olu argued.
He also recalled that the state challenged population figures in the 2006 census across 19 LGAs and won 18 of those cases at the tribunal — citing the example of Alimosho LGA, which had 1.37 million residents, nearly the entire population of Bayelsa State.
Beyond special status, the governor emphasized the need for true federalism, including state policing, electoral and judicial reforms, fiscal federalism, and constitutional roles for traditional rulers.
“State policing is not semantics. It’s about protecting the people,” he said.
Former Lagos Deputy Governor Prince Abiodun Ogunleye and ex-Minister of Works Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe echoed Sanwo-Olu’s call, urging constitutional backing for the LCDAs and a return to fiscal federalism that empowers states.
The Adegboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Semiu Kasali, insisted that the National Assembly must reflect the people’s will in granting Lagos special status and recognising traditional institutions.
Prince Lanre Balogun, an APC chieftain and former Lagos Commissioner for Rural Development, also stressed that state police remained the only viable solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
In response, Dr Ibrahim Isiaka, Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives and Chair of the Constitution Review Committee, assured the audience that the National Assembly would carefully consider all submissions.
The event saw broad-based support from various stakeholders backing special status for Lagos and constitutional recognition of its 37 LCDAs.