Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), last night defended allegations of financial misappropriation once levelled against the State Executive Council, saying he never made any attempt to stop the investigation, which the state House of Assembly conducted to establish it.
Fashola expressed the position in response to a question by the governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Mr. Yomi Tokoya, at the governorship debate, which Channels Television organised in partnership with THISDAY Newspapers Group at the MUSON Centre ahead of the April elections.
Other governorship candidates at the debate included Dr. Adegbola Dominic, who is contesting the race on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Adegboyega Dosunmu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bashorun Jaiye Randle of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP).
Speaking on the question raised by the ANPP candidate, Fashola simply replied that he never frustrated all attempts to investigate the allegations of financial mismanagement levelled against his administration.
Fashola further explained that apart from the fact that the case was still in court, he had requested those who brought the allegation “to provide evidence, but none had been provided hitherto
He also spoke on what he described as the hydra-headed infrastructural challenges confronting Lagos mega city, stating categorically that the state “requires at least $50 billion over a period of 10 years to solve the problem”.
He said the state government from the administration of former governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had embarked on aggressive infrastructure development with a view to transforming Lagos to Africa’s model mega city.
He therefore listed various achievements in infrastructure to include massive road construction, water projects, schools and hospitals upgraded, building of bridges, jetties and the light rail project, among others.
On the issue of Revenue Allocation Formula, Fashola said the state government needed at least $10 billion and that the process was lopsided in the favour of the Federal Government, a model which he said needed to be reviewed.
He argued that the formula that gave 52 per cent of resources to the Federal Government with fewer staff, 26 to the state, 20 to the local government and “2-3 per cent to some amorphous ecological fund” is responsible for the multitude of Nigeria’s problem. He blamed the PDP government and advocated a better revenue allocation formula in favour of the states and local governments.
He alluded to the Independent Power Project (IPP) that Lagos State embarked on and said it had been killed by corruption. Governor Fashola countered saying the IPP currently generates 270 megawwats.
On the issue of housing, while Fashola argued that the state had built over 5,000 housing units but had not sold it, but is shopping for a favourable mortgage policy, Dosunmu countered that the government has no business in housing except as social intervention.
But Dosunmu took on the incumbent governor on infrastructure deficiency, saying it “is a misappropriation of Lagos funds. What has been spent on Lagos State would have repaired 70 per cent of the roads. There should be transparency like is being done in the Federal Executive Council. Lagos State has received almost N2 trillion in IGR and other funds over the years and not much has been done”.
Dosunmu also said Lagos “has made up to 16 per cent of the total national budget. The problem of Lagos State is not the allocation formula but mismanagement and at this rate, will soon be bankrupt. He has spent N50 billion to repair a 48-kilometre road.
“That is a record, spending more than a billion on a kilometre. The city mall costs N5 billion. Is that how you spend tax payers’ money? You get all the money and use it to finance elections in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun States.”
Claiming he started public service career at level eight and retired at the peak of level 17, Dosunmu took a swipe at Fashola, saying the incumbent governor had never served the public until he became the Chief of Staff to former Governor Tinubu.
While Randle argued that the problem of Lagos was more of infrastructure deficiency, Tokoya argued that the perennial problem of power supply was responsible.
He criticised the state housing policy as too elitist, saying the LSPDC has constructed some and is selling it for N51 million and N40 million.
“Anybody who can pay such does not need the government, he can always build it by himself,” he said.
“Anybody who can pay such does not need the government, he can always build it by himself,” he said.
All the candidates criticised the state tax policy and Dosunmu said many companies had relocated out of Lagos State due to the heavy tax burden.
He promised to relieve Lagosians the problem of taxes. Fashola, citing various examples, said rather, more companies are coming into Lagos because they have found the environment conducive for their businesses.
A minor scuffle occurred between Fashola and Randle when the latter asked the governor, why, as a senior citizen, he had not been allowed a five-minute appointment in almost three years of trying to see the governor.
In his response, Fashola said there was no point trying to see Randle because he had enough aides and in spite of his tough schedule, still manages to take up to 200 calls and e-mails per day
The governor said: “I know why you want to see me. It is about the criminal case in court that involves you. You built you house in Victoria Island on a drain and that is why Lagos State remains flooded.”
Randle protested, saying his integrity was intact and that he didn’t have any criminal case in court. He demanded an apology from the governor, saying his family name had been maligned.