The Lagos State House of Assembly’s(LAHA) Public Hearing on the
state new Land Use Charge (Amendment ) Law, 2018 went rowdy on
Tuesday as some stakeholders staged a walk out.
This Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, admitted that the
new Land Use Charge (Amendment ) Law, 2018 was outrageous and
exorbitant.
He urged the stakeholders to make contributions on what was
acceptable to them, saying what the state was getting from the
Federal Government was not enough to take the state anywhere.
“We are here to discuss and reach a compromise on what is
acceptable. In making your contribution, remember Lagos State and
its huge population.
“We have been shortchanged and there is nothing for us than to
look inward and seek more revenue to develop our state.
“What we are getting from the Federal Government is not enough.
We have begged, we appealed and moved a motion for special status
for Lagos State and nothing happened.
“So we have to look inward and think of what we can do to move
Lagos forward. We can’t do it alone without you.
“Fine, what we have presented might be outrageous and
exorbitant.
“Let’s come home and think of what will be acceptable but not to
the detriment of our children who are the future, we must think
about,” he said.
Stakeholders walked out after the House declined to yield to
calls for the postponement of the exercise by the stakeholders.
The stakeholders include the members of the Nigeria Bar
Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Joint Action Front (JAF) and the
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
The aggrieved, who started chanting “No, no, we no go pay land
use charges, we no go pay” walked out from the Lateef Jakande Hall
of the Assembly Complex, the venue of the event.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa had hardly
completed his address, where he told the stakeholders that the
exercise was in response to people’s call, when Mr Adesina
Ogunlana, Chairman, NBA, Ikeja Branch raised a point of order.
Ogunlana informed the House that the stakeholders got the notice
of the public hearing late and could not get a copy of the law to
be amended, hence, they were calling for a two-week
adjournment.
“Yesterday,(Monday, we received a letter inviting us today for
this programme as well as a copy of the amendment at our
secretariat of the NBA, Ikeja Branch.
“What we did was to write a letter to the Honourable Speaker
informing him of the necessity for an adjournment of this public
hearing.
“It is gratifying to note that the Speaker and other honourable
members of the House are interested in our views and the views of
others and that we should not come to a compromise.
“What we did was to first go back to the cabinet office to look
for the law being sought to be amended, that law is not even with
the government.
“Even in this House, I have made enquiries, and we cannot even
get a copy of the law.
“The truth of the matter is that the amendment sought, and a
copy of the law must be given to the stakeholders, if we are going
to have meaningful contributions.
“The huge task of evaluating the legality and the general
operational dynamics of this law vis-a-vis the amendment is clearly
an assignment beyond the space of 24 hours or a similar period of
time.
“Our humbly request is this, if we may be permitted to counsel,
we request the adjournment of this public hearing in no less than
two weeks,” he said.
Ogunlana said that such an adjournment would allow stakeholders
have adequate time for cogitative and comparative study of the
proposed amendment as well as the qualitative and comprehensive
submission via memoranda.
He said that if the exercise continued it would be
counter-productive at the end, saying that “what is what doing at
all is what doing well.”
According to him, there is no way the stakeholders will have
meaningful contributions if they do not have copies of the law and
enough time to study it.
He said that the group would return to the street on Thursday
for protest against the law.
Also speaking, Mr Abiodun Aremu, Secretary of the JAF, Lagos
State said that the group would mobilise residents against the
law.
“We are not pleased with the processes. The will of the people
prevails at all times. The JAF has a record of defending the poor
in Lagos State.
“We are not satisfied; they should meet us on the streets
because the people will not pay this. We are going to mount a
campaign that people will not pay.
“Every bad law must be rejected by the people. You can make a
law and once they are not acceptable to the people, they won’t
obey.
“This money is not payable, it is not acceptable and we must
resist it,” said.
According to him, public hearing is not the same with public
consensus and the first line is to consult with the people.
Mr Joseph Onaguwa, the Secretary for the CDHR, Lagos State said:
“This House has disrespected the people by declining to add two
weeks for us to have a copy of what they want us to discuss.
In his response, the speaker said that the stakeholders still
had ample time to come and submit their memoranda on the amendment
after the public hearings.
The hearing went ahead after the stakeholders had staged a walk
out.
The Lagos State House of Assembly’s(LAHA) Public Hearing on the
state new Land Use Charge (Amendment ) Law, 2018 went rowdy on
Tuesday as some stakeholders staged a walk out.
This Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, admitted that the
new Land Use Charge (Amendment ) Law, 2018 was outrageous and
exorbitant.
He urged the stakeholders to make contributions on what was
acceptable to them, saying what the state was getting from the
Federal Government was not enough to take the state anywhere.
“We are here to discuss and reach a compromise on what is
acceptable. In making your contribution, remember Lagos State and
its huge population.
“We have been shortchanged and there is nothing for us than to
look inward and seek more revenue to develop our state.
“What we are getting from the Federal Government is not enough.
We have begged, we appealed and moved a motion for special status
for Lagos State and nothing happened.
“So we have to look inward and think of what we can do to move
Lagos forward. We can’t do it alone without you.
“Fine, what we have presented might be outrageous and
exorbitant.
“Let’s come home and think of what will be acceptable but not to
the detriment of our children who are the future, we must think
about,” he said.
Stakeholders walked out after the House declined to yield to
calls for the postponement of the exercise by the stakeholders.
The stakeholders include the members of the Nigeria Bar
Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Joint Action Front (JAF) and the
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
The aggrieved, who started chanting “No, no, we no go pay land
use charges, we no go pay” walked out from the Lateef Jakande Hall
of the Assembly Complex, the venue of the event.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa had hardly
completed his address, where he told the stakeholders that the
exercise was in response to people’s call, when Mr Adesina
Ogunlana, Chairman, NBA, Ikeja Branch raised a point of order.
Ogunlana informed the House that the stakeholders got the notice
of the public hearing late and could not get a copy of the law to
be amended, hence, they were calling for a two-week
adjournment.
“Yesterday,(Monday, we received a letter inviting us today for
this programme as well as a copy of the amendment at our
secretariat of the NBA, Ikeja Branch.
“What we did was to write a letter to the Honourable Speaker
informing him of the necessity for an adjournment of this public
hearing.
“It is gratifying to note that the Speaker and other honourable
members of the House are interested in our views and the views of
others and that we should not come to a compromise.
“What we did was to first go back to the cabinet office to look
for the law being sought to be amended, that law is not even with
the government.
“Even in this House, I have made enquiries, and we cannot even
get a copy of the law.
“The truth of the matter is that the amendment sought, and a
copy of the law must be given to the stakeholders, if we are going
to have meaningful contributions.
“The huge task of evaluating the legality and the general
operational dynamics of this law vis-a-vis the amendment is clearly
an assignment beyond the space of 24 hours or a similar period of
time.
“Our humbly request is this, if we may be permitted to counsel,
we request the adjournment of this public hearing in no less than
two weeks,” he said.
Ogunlana said that such an adjournment would allow stakeholders
have adequate time for cogitative and comparative study of the
proposed amendment as well as the qualitative and comprehensive
submission via memoranda.
He said that if the exercise continued it would be
counter-productive at the end, saying that “what is what doing at
all is what doing well.”
According to him, there is no way the stakeholders will have
meaningful contributions if they do not have copies of the law and
enough time to study it.
He said that the group would return to the street on Thursday
for protest against the law.
Also speaking, Mr Abiodun Aremu, Secretary of the JAF, Lagos
State said that the group would mobilise residents against the
law.
“We are not pleased with the processes. The will of the people
prevails at all times. The JAF has a record of defending the poor
in Lagos State.
“We are not satisfied; they should meet us on the streets
because the people will not pay this. We are going to mount a
campaign that people will not pay.
“Every bad law must be rejected by the people. You can make a
law and once they are not acceptable to the people, they won’t
obey.
“This money is not payable, it is not acceptable and we must
resist it,” said.
According to him, public hearing is not the same with public
consensus and the first line is to consult with the people.
Mr Joseph Onaguwa, the Secretary for the CDHR, Lagos State said:
“This House has disrespected the people by declining to add two
weeks for us to have a copy of what they want us to discuss.
In his response, the speaker said that the stakeholders still
had ample time to come and submit their memoranda on the amendment
after the public hearings.
The hearing went ahead after the stakeholders had staged a walk
out.