There have been calls for a special

status for Lagos State, but it appears no concrete step is being taken by the relevant authorities in this direction.

I don’t think you are right. The governor of Lagos State (Mr. Babatunde Fashola) is on top of it, considering the status of Lagos State and the challenges. Having given the Niger Delta a special status now by the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta, which is devoted solely to the region, I think Lagos deserves more than a ministry. Lagos deserve a great deal of attention as a former federal capital and the nation’s commercial nerve centre. Look at the population of Lagos. Thousands of people troop into the state from across the six geopolitical zones on a daily basis. There is a lot of pressure on infrastructure in the state. So, I think it is expedient for the Federal Government to ensure that that special status is given to Lagos. I know the governor is working hard, steadily and quietly, so I am convinced that the goal will be achieved.

The Peoples Democratic Party is back in court challenging the conduct of the October 11, 2008 local government election in the state. Won’t this lead to another clash between the Federal Government and the state?

It is the continuation of the attitude of the Federal Government to Lagos State. The former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not recognise the councils too. He took Lagos to the Supreme Court. The court affirmed that the state had the right to create local governments. Lagos State did the right thing by creating the councils.

read more:http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20081213436725

That is the wrong step in the right direction, my friend. Trust me, it will fail woefully. Lagos don't need special govt or special allocation.

In all honesty, lagos is Richer than we are witnessing. When OBJ decided to withold allocation to Lagos in the wake of Tinubu's creation of new LG, Lagos didn't collapse. Workers get their salaries, and somehow, the man funded his programmes.

Now that they got the allocation, the man at the helm didn't share the money anyhow. The result is the transformation we are withnessing.

With a federal agency like (ministry of Lagos) we are going to witness the kind of useless crisis that FERMA had with LASTMA. Anyone who have sharp memory will attest to the fact that power struggle will be the only effect lagosians would feel.

What we need is true federalism.

What of the allocation they receive and the huge amount they generate as internally generated revenue?
Must every state get a ministry?

That is Nigerian problem. Soon we will have min of Lagos, Min. Of Kano, Min of Jos, Min of Kainji, Lazy people!

Guess what? When they get that, we would have min. in our respective families!

olanajim:

That is Nigerian problem. Soon we will have min of Lagos, Min. Of Kano, Min of Jos, Min of Kainji, Lazy people!

Guess what? When they get that, we would have min. in our respective families!

word

please, that is not the issue, the issue is that either nigeria should divide or there should be a sovereign national conference whereby every region and state would discudss and later, every state becomes independent and the federal government is saddled with minimal authorities and responsiboilities

namun:

please, that is not the issue, the issue is that either nigeria should diveide or there should be a sovereign national conference whereby every region and state would discudss and later, ever state becomes independent and the federal government is saddled with minimal authorities and responsiboilities

Internet pretenders, it won't happen.
Do you think Nigeria became corrupt yesterday?

you guys are encouraging bureaucracy.

Muza:

What of the allocation they receive and the huge amount they generate as internally generated revenue?
Must every state get a ministry?

It gets sent to the federal purse where it is then "re-allocated" to your thieving, idle cattle rearers up north.

@josboy4life
it would happen. and soon for that matter

The best solution to the problem of Lagos is to develop other parts of the country, not pump more federal money into that place, for instance, we can have serious infrastructural development in the NigerDelta and all the oil companies and associated industries operating from Lagos where to relocate to the Nigerdelta states,

if Federal Airports and Seaports in port harcourt and warri were to be given just 30% of the attention their counterparts in Lagos got in the past and are still getting, this would go a long way in decongesting Lagos.
Thanks

i dont know about a special government or not but one thing im sure of is that lagos state needs to be treated different to the other states because they have more problems to contend with.
while the internally generated revenue is more than most states,dont forget more people migrate to lagos every day putting a strain on the resources,as for lagos state not going bankrupt during the obasanjo witholding the federal allocation,you should go find out about the different taxes lagosians had to pay,the syndicated loans e.t.c

Crafty wisdom.

Giving Lagos more would not help lagos. It will turn Lagos to begger with far reaching negative consequences to the whole federation. When you give Lagos more, Kano will come out too. It will justified it claim by using the last population censor. Then Anambra will appear, cap in hands and claim maginalisation. If Amambra got his own, Niger Delta would up their demand since they produce the oil. Then other states would tow the line and we are soon back to square one, If other states don't get their demands as they will continues to migrate to Lagos!

Developing Niger Delta won't solve the problem either. Quote me. When Niger Delta is fully developed, there would be mass migration from other states, just like they did with Lagos. The result would eventually be the same. But unlike Lagos, it is likely that ethics problem sprout up. The native will try to resist the settlers from taking away their birthright. And in the end, it is possible to turn the place to another "Jos".

The solution in my own thinking is for Nigeria to embrace true federalism. Nothing would stop other states from tapping their own resources when they know that they will reap from it if they work hard.

Power must be decentralized. VAT must be retained in states generating them and FG should have nothing to do with VAT.