Sanwo-Olu To Tinubu: ‘You Took Lagos To Court In Error On Local Govt Autonomy’

Cat:

Related stories

[Video] Drama As Senator Angrily Walks Out As IGP Egbetokun Presents Police Budget

  By Abiola Olawale The 2025 budget defence session for the...

Finally, Nigerian Governors Declare Support for Tinubuā€™s Tax Reform Bills

Call For Revised VAT Sharing Formula By Abiola Olawale After...

How Dangote Refinery Has Affected Petrol Production In the European Market — OPEC

By Abiola Olawale The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)...
  • Says Attorney General didn’t do due diligence to identify States not complying

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration took the state to court over local government autonomy in error.

Sanwo-Olu saidĀ Lagos State should have been left out of the legal action instituted by the Federal Fovernment against Governors at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of local governments.

To Sanwo-Olu, it was a legal anomaly for the federal government to join Lagos in the Supreme Court matter, decades after the local governments in the state had been enjoying full autonomy, TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports.

Sanwo-Olu, who spoke in support of the suit, however, said the Attorney General of the Federation should have identified those that were not in compliance with the law before filing a blanket lawsuit against all States.

He said: ā€œIt is interesting to read the news that the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation has sued all the 36 States because Governors did not give autonomy to the third tier of government. The only mistake, which I am going to tell our Attorney General, is that some of us are in compliance.

ā€œThe Attorney General should have done his due diligence to identify which states are not in compliance, so that we donā€™t sue all the 36 States together. You can determine which states are not violating the Constitution. If it is three, four or five states are in compliance, then you can sue the 31 states violating autonomy of the Local Governments. That is part of the back work that we need to do.ā€

The governor spoke at the on-going Justice Reform Summit organised by Lagos State Judiciary with the theme: ā€œEnhancing the Administration of Justice for Economic Growth, Investment Protection and Security in Lagos.”

The summit, attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), held at Marriott Hotels, Ikeja.

Sanwo-Olu said infringement on the local council autonomy was an affront to the spirit of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to which the Judiciary must make a clear interpretation for equity and fairness.

He said a better justice system would protect the interests of parties and discourage actions limiting efficiency of any government entity.

Sanwo-Olu said the judicial reform must remain on the agenda in a functional society in order to improve administration of the justice system and make the court the last hope of the common man.

The governor said the judiciary in Lagos had remained a beacon in protecting the rule of law and setting good examples for other jurisdictions in dispensation of justice. But he challenged judges and law officers to change the status quo in order to raise the standard of the justice system.

Drawing a parallel with Singapore ā€“ a fishing village with environmental similarities with Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said Singaporeā€™s faith in rule of law and fairness transformed the efficiency of the countryā€™s justice system, leading to rapid economic growth and prosperity.

He said: ā€œJust like Lagos, Singapore has no resources. Singapore is what it is today because of Ease of Doing Business. It takes less than 30 minutes to register a business in Singapore, which makes it to surpass many countries in Ease of Doing Business. Singapore has one of the best judiciary system in the world; they have quick turnaround time in mediation and dispute resolution.ā€

Sanwo-Olu said Lagos needed a strong judicial system to attain all its investment potential, while promoting transparency and accountability. The governor urged the Bench and the Bar to collaborate to promote an efficient justice system.

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola, represented by Justice Iyabode Yerima of the Supreme Court, hailed Lagos judicial system for being ā€œa forerunnerā€ in justice development, stressing that other jurisdictions usually borrowed from examples set by Lagos.

The CJN listed some of landmark examples set by Lagos judiciary in the justice system to include Administration of Criminal Justice laws, which after implementation, set the template for the designing of Criminal Justice Act at the National Assembly.

Mr Fagbemi, represented by Mr. Fernandez Marcos-Obiene, said robust and transparent reforms embarked on by Lagos in the justice system had promoted economic growth, pledging that the Federal Government would continue to provide platforms for reforms that would improve public trust in the judiciary.

Chief Justice of Lagos, Justice Kazeem Alogba, commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his non-interference stance in judicial matters in Lagos.

Alogba said: ā€No society thrives without robust justice system. The essence of any society is to have justice, without which there will be no peace and order. Security is an integral element of a robust justice system. When you have judges who are incompetent and corrupt in the system, the society will suffer for it.ā€

Other speakers at the two-day event included the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), and Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), among others.

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

Latest News
Tinubu Felicitates With Okonjo-Iweala, Fola Adeola, Adesina On Receiving Key UNILAG'S Honorary Doctorate AwardsBreaking: EFCC Files Charges Against Otudeko, Ex-First Bank MD Onasanya Monday over alleged N12.3bn fraud[Video] Drama As Senator Angrily Walks Out As IGP Egbetokun Presents Police BudgetFinally, Nigerian Governors Declare Support for Tinubuā€™s Tax Reform BillsHow Dangote Refinery Has Affected Petrol Production In the European Market -- OPEC[VIDEO] Pomp and Pegeantry As Uzodinma Holds Stunning Wedding Anniversary EventFirst Bank Vs GHL: Legal Dispute Escalates As Crude Oil Cargo Owned By General Hydrocarbons Limited is DetainedEconomic Reforms: Your Statements Are Biased, Partisan - FG Replies Emir SanusiEl-Rufai Vs Uba Sani: Tension As ICPC Drags El- Rufaiā€™s Ally, Jimi Lawal To Court For Alleged FraudCBN Raises Concern: How Nigerians Blew N3.7bn On Medical Tourism In 9MonthsMinister Makes Shocking Revelations, says FG, Telecos Working On 30% to 60% Tariff IncrementMoney Laundering: El-Rufai's Camp In Turmoil As ICPC Charges Jimi Lawal, Ex-Gov's Aide To Court[VIDEO] Drama As FG, Emir Sanusi Engage In War of Words Over Economic Reforms"You Are Global Stars," Tinubu Lauds Six Nigerian Scientists, Engineers Honoured by BidenTribunal Gunshots: We Won't Be Distracted From Reclaiming Our Mandate -- Ighodalo
X whatsapp