BY EBUN SESSOU

Speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has said that the pursuit of a special status for Lagos will be one of the legislative agenda of the 8th Lagos Assembly.

It will be recalled that the demand for 1 percent derivation has been a subject of debate in the state for some time now.

In the light of this, Obasa promised that the state assembly will work hand-in-hand with the National Assembly to ensure the actualisation of the quest which is long overdue.

According to him, this is imperative because apart from being a former federal capital Lagos still remains the economic and commercial nerve center of the country and the destination of so many Nigerians seeking better life.

“It is therefore important that the federal government takes a special interest in the state by according it a special status and making necessary provisions to cushion the pressure on infrastructure in the state”, he said.

In his contribution, Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade at the plenary presented a report on the June 12 Anniversary lecture which took place in Lagos in commemoration of annulment of the June 12 election acclaimed to have been the freest and fairest election and won by the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

Agunbiade said one of the recommendations at the ceremony was that since the All Progressives Congress (APC) has formed the government at the federal level, the state should seize the opportunity to ensure that the state is granted the status.

He said almost all participants at the event agreed that there is no better time than now to push for special status since the state will have a listening ear now that the APC is in control at the center.