The Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development Bolaji Robert, who spoke on Thursday during the event held in Ikoyi, said the initiative was to ensure that councillors were acquainted with world best practices on legislative functions so they can improve their quality of service to the people.
He said, “This workshop is designed to improve the legislative performance of councillors in the 57 councils in Lagos State. This will help them in delivering the dividends of democracy to their constituencies.
“It will also allow the councillors to brainstorm on issues relating to legislative practice, and identify strategies that would engender the state’s collective growth. Hopefully, this workshop would be the berthing of conversations on efficient resource management, the creation of a better outlook and modality for governance, thereby promoting good governance at the grassroots.
“It will equally give clarity to governance through the appraisal of constitutional and political principles on which governance and law-making at the grassroots is premised.”
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Kikelomo Bolarinwa, described the training as important to help the councillors develop the capacity needed to improve their approach to legislation and representation.
She added, “I believe that this initiative would aid councillors’ efforts in initiating and approving legislation that would foster rapid development at the grassroots, thereby aligning the councils with policies of the state government, “especially the T.H.E.M.E.S. Plus Agenda of this administration.
“The goal of this capacity-building initiative is to expose legislators at the local government level to improved ways of making legislation and influencing policies that would be beneficial to their councils.
“It is a dynamic and uncertain world, so there is a need for us to continually build capacity, particularly for council leaders whom we have entrusted with the responsibility of making enabling laws at the local government level. The local government is the closest to the people, so a faulty foundation can lead to chaos. This is why this workshop is very strategic to developing the capacity of our councillors at the local governments to make better legislations, understand collaborations with their contemporaries and also develop a fruitful working relationship with their principals.
“We are therefore looking forward to more rounded legislators who are in tune with what obtains in other climes in terms of making laws, managing resources and collaboration for improved administration and service delivery.”
Speaking, the Chairman of the Conference of Councillors, Alimi Alowonle, thanked the government for the workshop, describing it as helpful and impactful.
“This training will keep us on our toes, it will help us stay abreast of how legislation should be, especially to give our constituencies the best. After this, we expect a great improvement in our oversight functions, budgeting, lawmaking, and the like,” he added.
