*20 local government areas, as listed in the First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. The list is constitutional, not administrative: a state may create development areas, but only an alteration of the Constitution can create a local government that draws from the Federation Account. Section 162(5)–(8) routes each council's share through a State Joint Local Government Account controlled by the state government — the arrangement the Supreme Court ruled against in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State & 35 Ors (11 July 2024), holding that allocations must go directly to democratically elected councils.*
The 20 councils#
- Agege
- Ajeromi-Ifelodun
- Alimosho
- Amuwo-Odofin
- Apapa
- Badagry
- Epe
- Eti-Osa
- Ibeju-LekkiImpunity Loop
- Ifako-Ijaiye
- Ikeja
- Ikorodu
- Kosofe
- Lagos Island
- Lagos Mainland
- Mushin
- Ojo
- Oshodi-Isolo
- Shomolu
- Surulere
Notes on the roster#
20 constitutional LGAs plus 37 Local Council Development Areas created by the Lagos State Government in 2003. President Obasanjo froze Lagos's federal allocation for the LCDAs; the Supreme Court held in *Attorney-General of Lagos State v. Attorney-General of the Federation* (2004) that the President had no power to withhold the money, but also that the new councils were not yet constitutional. The funds were released only after Obasanjo left office in 2007. Alimosho alone, with a population larger than several states, still receives one LGA share.
References
Sources#
- Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), First Schedule Part I
- INEC local government delimitation register
- Supreme Court of Nigeria, SC/CV/343/2024, judgment of 11 July 2024 (local government financial autonomy)