The report observed that the website displays the activities and achievements of Fashola and also has a link to the website of Fashola’s wife, Abimbola.
However, the company which was awarded the contract to upgrade the website claimed to have been running the website since 2008. It said N12.5m was quoted for the upgrade of the website which included a complete redesign of the page templates but received only N10m for the job.
The firm also said the website was not Fashola’s personal website but only reports and documents his activities as governor.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has said certainly somebody must explain the whereabouts of the N68million. “Where is the N68 million naira difference of what the procurement said it spent and what the firm that designed said it collected? Fashola should give account of it.”
CACOL had, in many reactions which contained several allegations bordering on financial recklessness and misappropriation against the Lagos state government administration under Fashola, petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) requesting its thorough investigation and necessary actions. Petitions were also written to last Lagos State House of Assembly requesting it to apply its constitutional powers of oversight in investigating the allegations and take appropriate actions.
It was alleged that Lagos State Government embarked on frivolous spending on white-elephant projects, unnecessary and excessive donations, lack of due process in budget implementation, illegal deduction and diversion of statutorily allocated funds and properties as well as inflation of costs of already awarded contracts.
Meanwhile, the home work carried out by our Coalition shows that participatory governance, probity and accountability, transparency and openness are alien to the government of Mr. Fashola. Our research shows the costs of many of the executed items of the budget were over bloated.
For instance, the less than 2km Admiralty Cable Bridge was constructed at a whooping sum of N29bn. However, our interaction with professionals in the field revealed that the expected cost of the Cable Bridge could not be more than N6bn. Likewise, the Ramp constructed between Ozumba Mbadiwe Road and Falomo Bridge, even when it is not on water and less than 200 meters, was constructed for N2.5bn. This could have cost a frugal government less than N50m, according to professionals. Now it’s a whopping sum of N78.5 million for upgrading of website that is not supposed cost less than thousands of naira.
Adeniran further said, “Since democratic governance anywhere is all about the people whose sovereignty remains the very platform on which the governance is premised and since government and those in charge derive their authorities from the same people, the inalienable right of the people to demand accountability and rendering of stewardship, at any point in time, therefore remains incontestable.
Anti-Corruption
Agencies need not to waste further time to invite the Immediate past Governor,
Babatunde Raji Fashola for questioning on all the allegations raised, give
detailed accounts of his administration, and make his report public.
“We equally want to urge all other agencies and authorities to do the necessary investigations and ensure that whosoever is found to have abused his office is prosecuted and appropriately punished.” The CACOL Chairman concluded.
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