By Ebunoluwa Sessou & Ogechukwu Ibegbunam

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has warned immediate past chairmen of local governments and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to stop interfering in the affairs of their successors.

Obasa gave the warning during a meeting with newly elected chairmen at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium of the Assembly Complex on Tuesday, September 23.

He expressed displeasure at reports that some former council bosses still sign cheques and take financial decisions in collaboration with council treasurers and managers despite leaving office.

“How can you be answerable to your predecessors? What you owe them is honour, not control,” the Speaker said. “They have done their bit and everybody is grateful. You are the ones in control now. So, take charge.

“Let the new chairmen breathe. Let the public see that there are new sheriffs in town and that they are doing a good job. Don’t take their shine. Remove your grip on their necks.”

Obasa urged the new chairmen to show results quickly. “Four years is not a long time in politics. If the public does not see what you are doing in four months, you have created a wrong impression,” he warned.

He also advised them to scrutinise debts inherited from their predecessors before repayment.

“Before you start paying loans, ask questions. Where you are unsure of what the loan was used for, look through the books. If you can renegotiate or restructure the terms of the loans, do so for the betterment of your constituents,” he said.

The Speaker further condemned the pressure allegedly mounted by former chairmen on new office holders to begin repaying loans immediately without giving them room for due diligence.

He lamented the spate of deaths in councils across the state, describing it as unprecedented and urging public officials to take their health seriously.