Since the past few weeks, the media has been awash with the story of how former Lagos governor, Babatunde Fashola mismanaged taxpayers money during his eight-year tenure. The accusations have come in torrents and around the same time. The first of such accusations had been that he spent about N73.8m to upgrade his website. The report was published in the state’s official website in May.
The money was allegedly paid to Info Access Plus limited to “upgrade www.tundefashola.com website post May 29, 2015 handover”. That wasn’t the only allegation. The former governor was also accused of spending N139m on the drilling of two boreholes at the Lagos House, Ikeja. Also a motor park including some unspecified works was allegedly completed at a cost of N640m. Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s cables were relocated at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital at N300m, a pedestrian bridge railing was replaced at N175m, two boreholes were constructed at N139m. It went on and on like that.
Allegation of having children outside of marriage, among others were also leveled against the governor.
But the one that actually generated controversies was the website redesign cost. The company involved had no choice than to come out to state its own side of the case that it actually collected N10m for the job from the N12.5m that was quoted.
The governor himself has reacted to the allegations. He never denied that the website was awarded at the stated cost but noted that a complete report was not given.
“In publishing this Contract award which was the Government tradition under my watch, the procurement agency’s website summarised it as “upgrade” only without detailing the other services and this has been distorted by the agents of hate as their suspected “smoking gun”.“For those who are familiar with mobile applications, they will know that users either pay for them online or download them for free. “What is usual is that applications for service are usually provided to users free, but somebody bears the cost.
“Since these applications were to be made available to the public for free access and to assist Government communication, we decided to pay for them.The entire documents are with the Lagos State Government and are available for those who seek the truth. For the record, since 2008, long before the Freedom of Information Act ever passed, we had put out our contracts on the State website because people deserve to know.
It is regrettable that a “summary” of the contract has been deliberately distorted to misinform the public”.
It is indeed regrettable that the accusation against the governor is coming at this time. While one would not support the mismanagement of our collective patrimony, the question that comes to mind is why is the information being released at this time?
It has been said that the former governor has not been in the good books of his mentor and the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Would that be the reason? Among the many “sins” of the former governor had been his alleged non-support of the candidature of the present governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. He was accused of raising another candidate to vie for the same position in the run up to the party primaries that threw up Ambode as APC candidate.
Fashola was said to have neglected his party too by not adequately funding it, according to a former Asiwaju’s aide who confided in this writer. At a time that President Mohammadu Buhari was shopping for a Vice Presidential candidate, one of the names people thought would be put forward was that of Fashola. That was not to be due to the allegations raised against him that “someone that was given the governorship of the state and he behaved the way he did, if he was given something higher, he would behave in a worse manner”, was how the aide puts it. It was therefore not surprising that the mismanagement allegations are coming at this time. Borrowing from the statement of the web designers, Info Access Plus limited, “loading of contracts awarded and executed by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency is itself suspect and aimed at a pre-determined end”. What then is this predetermined end? Is it to discredit Fashola so that President Muhammadu Buhari would not want to associate with him as was being speculated?
Fashola as governor was a model that other governors tried to emulate. He brought governance home to the people and Lagosians actually lived the word, ‘dividends of democracy’’. He performed’ while he held sway. Most of the landmark achievements in Lagos today came about during his tenure. But all these would not have been possible without Asiwaju who anointed him his successor. It was he that stood solidly behind Fashola when others had different views. Asiwaju’s reaction to the entire saga was therefore not suprising when he said, “ an attack against the performance of Governor Fashola is indirectly an attack against me and the edifice of achievements we have constructed in leading Lagos State out of a protracted time of stagnation and into an era of sustained progress and development.”
The allegations against Fashola can only hurt the party. My take is that, what is happening now could only be the work of fifth columnists, those trying to put a wedge in the party and the good relationship that should exist between Asiwaju and Fashola. The former governor is someone that the National leader of APC and the party itself should be proud having discharged his responsibilities to the best of his ability. And there is no reason why he should not be pushed to the national level to again serve, if need be.
Asiwaju’s statement on the matter is indeed a welcome development. It places him (Asiwaju) on that pedestal of a leader that he is. By that statement, he has put a stop to the campaign. And one hopes it stays that way.
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