Opinion
By Adekoya Adesegun Abdul-Majid, MHR
I have read and followed the ongoing debate and discussion on the granting of Special Status to Lagos State and I feel as a former Local Government Council Chairman in Lagos State and a Principal Officer in the 9th Assembly it is most important that I lend my voice to the ongoing debate.
Without any fear of contradictions, I feel the granting of a Special Status to Lagos is long overdue. In this particular respect, Lagos should be viewed from the perspective of a concept rather than just a State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; a Concept of a plundered territory for the growth and development of Nigeria. A state that still feeds the Nigerian economy more than 50 per cent of its economic earnings (taxation, customs and excise etc) outside crude oil.
If the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja that was taken as a virgin territory can have Ministers and Ministers of State, it also has FCDA and FCTA as agencies of the Federal Goveryfor its development, what stops Lagos which has been plundered for several years as Federal Capital Territory, its resources and capacities depleted and invaded by citizens from all walks of life and from every state of the Federation.
If the Niger Delta region can have Derivation and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and now the North East Development Commission (NEDC), I could not see any reason or justification why Lagos and Ogun States cannot have such equal Special Status in joint execution (bearing in mind that Lagos and Ogun States) overlap in very many areas and borders- Sagamu/Ikorodu, Sango Ota/Alakuko, Ijebu Ode/Epe, Ogun Waterside/ Ibeju Lekki, Agbara Badagry etc. All these could be designated as Mega-City to take in the over-bloated population tearing down the facilities in Lagos state etc.
Rt. Hon. Adekoya Adesegun Abdul-Majid, MHR,
Deputy Minority Whip,
9th Assembly, House of Representatives, Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency