The controversy surrounding a letter written by an opposition lawmaker raising questions about the state’s procurement procedure has been addressed by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The governor emphasized that the state has nothing to conceal in its public spending and pointed out that the uproar sparked by the letter was needless.
Sanwo-Olu gave a speech during the official opening of the Lagos State Building Control Agency’s (LASBCA) recently constructed operational headquarters in the state’s Ikeja region.
Although he added that some critics concealed their “malicious intentions” by using political opposition to distort the facts, he stated that his administration would still appreciate objective critique.
The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA) website had data that the governor pointed out were inconsistent, misleading the public and generated controversy
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.”
“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,” the Governor said.
