The Association of Lagos Titled Chiefs has called for a revisit of the bill on the Special Status for Lagos sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The senate threw out the bill last month, drawing the ire of many, who saw no justification for the lawmakers’ action
It’s President, Chief Iyabo Foresythe, said the association is seeking one percent allocation to Lagos from the revenue accruable to the Federal Government.
She recalled that at the Southwest zonal public hearing on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution in Lagos, the people asked that the state be given a special status.
Lagos, she said, remained the commercial capital of the country with a contribution of about 60 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to her, Lagos is the country’s largest employer and the situation can only be sustained by a special status.
She said the passage of the bill would translate to economic prosperity for Nigerians.
Chief Foresythe said: “Our request for this special status is hinged on the fact that Lagos is also one of the fastest growing cities in Africa with rapid inner-cities growth and among the top 10 of the world’s fastest growing cities and urban areas. The resultant huge urban population continues to put enormous pressure on amenities, services and pose peculiar security challenges for the state.
“Our appeal for the revisit of the bill should be viewed from the point of its importance to the country due to its socio-economic significance and peculiar challenges. Lagos is cosmopolitan; it is a mini-Nigeria, the wellbeing of Lagos residents is the total well-being of Nigerians and everybody has a stake here in Lagos. With the country’s premier seaport, busiest airport, and most commercially active land borders, Lagos is Nigeria’s and Africa’s foremost global city and financial centre.”