‘We Can Make Mistakes’ – Sanwo-Olu Breaks Silence On Controversial Lagos Govt Expenditure

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has cleared the air on the controversy surrounding the expenditure made by his administration.

Naija News reports that the 2023 governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos State, Funsho Doherty, had raised questions about the budgetary procurement made by the Lagos government.

In an open letter to the state government, Doherty had asked the government to explain the outrageous and controversial expenses observed on the state’s procurement portal.

However, the expenditure has generated public debate on social media, with many Nigerians calling on the Lagos government to explain the rationale behind some of the budgetary procurement.

Reacting to the development, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the controversy generated by the letter was unnecessary, stressing that the State had nothing to hide in its public expenditure.

The governor stated this on Tuesday, November 21, at the Commissioning of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Building, PWD Ikeja.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu thanked the critics of the 2023 budget and said the State will continue to publish its spending and keep it open for public scrutiny.

Sanwo-Olu also reiterated that his government will continue to update the website of the State Public Procurement Agency after discrepancies in the figures quoted misled the public and generated controversy.

He said his administration would continue to value objective criticism, but added that some critics hid their “malicious intentions” under the guise of playing political opposition to misrepresent the truth.

He said: “Over the weekend, we saw on social media how some people can politically turn around all of our attempts to be responsible, transparent and committed to good governance. We don’t have a problem with any individual. We, indeed, acknowledged that this is the way it should be. We appreciate the fact that people can look at us in the face and say you need to do well in this area.

“We don’t have a problem with the originator of the open letter; in short, we like him and we thank him. Indeed, if we are seen as the Government that is transparent and responsible, we should not be shy of criticism. But, it is only when criticism is malicious and is misrepresenting the truth, that is when there will be a problem.

“Officers in Lagos State have come out to show that there could be mistakes on some lines of items. There was a particular issue where an item was meant to be N2 million, but was written as N2 billion. There are many discrepancies which have been corrected by PPA. We are not going to join issues with anyone on social media. All we are committed to is continuous service to the people of Lagos.”

Sanwo-Olu said Lagos had maintained open books for check and balances, pointing out that the State had judiciously appropriated funds to projects and services that benefited the residents.

He added: “I lead a team of dedicated public officers, civil servants and a self-motivated team of officials that will always stand tall with anyone across the world. The building we are opening today is a testament to our commitment to responsible public service. This is a building that has been built on time within the budget and judicious expenditure. This is what we stand for in Lagos.”