In a bold move, Funso Doherty, the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos, has written to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, highlighting instances of what he considers to be frivolous spending of public funds by the state government.
As learned by Quest Times, Doherty, a chartered accountant, meticulously analyzed the register of public procurement awards by the Lagos government for the second and third quarters of 2023.
His analysis revealed several projects that he believes warrant further scrutiny.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Doherty shared an open letter addressed to the Governor, stating, “I just wrote an open letter to the Governor on Public Procurement awards reported by LASG for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2023, highlighting a number of issues for further scrutiny and remedial action. Judicious use of public funds is always important, and is especially so now.”
Among the items that caught Doherty’s attention were:
1. The awarding of a N440,750,000 contract to the office of the chief of staff for the “procurement of a brand new Lexus LX 600 Bullet Proof Sport Utility Vehicle for use in the Pool of Office of Chief.”
2. The allocation of N18,468,000 to the office of the chief of staff for the “supply and distribution of 2,000 Noiler chicken across the local government areas and wards in the state.”
3. The allocation of N7,475,000 for the “replacement of the liquid fragrance in the Office of Mr Governor, Lagos house, Ikeja.”
4. The allocation of another N30,000,000 for “monthly empowerment programmes of the wife of the deputy governor.”
5. The awarding of N30,000,000 to the office of the deputy governor for “monthly outreach of indigent citizens by wife of the deputy governor.”
6. The staggering sum of N2,017,840,000 granted for the “provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridge in the office of the deputy governor).”
See full list of items below:
Provision of Supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridge in the office of the deputy governor) – N2,017,840,000.
Renovation of Churches – N531,500,000.
Procurement of a brand new Lexus LX 600 Bullet Proof Sport Utility Vehicle for use in the Pool of Office of Chief – N440,750,000.
Consultancy Services for the engagement of Loan transaction arranger and Financial Adviser to LASG/LAMATA on the Red line project – N3,141,666,667.
Consultancy Services for the engagement of Loan Facilitator and Adviser on LRMT blue line project – N2,101,321,622.
Flying Hour Expenses on Ad-hoc Charter Plane by Lagos State Government – N400,000,000.
Procurement of TEN (10) UNITS brand new Hyundai County Buses for use in the Pool of the Office of the Chief of Staff – N600,000,006.
Procurement of TWENTY (20) UNITS brand new Ashok Leyland Falcon Buses for use in the Pool of the Office of the Chief of Staff – N1,599,999,986.
Collation of Revenue Data and the Review of the current Lagos State Revenue Allocation Indices in Line with Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission Call Circular – N778,000,000.
Renewal/Extension of Technical Support Services for the Management of Operations of Lagos Rice Mill Imota – N540,000,000.
Commission and Operation Start-Off support of Lagos Rice Mill Imota – N300,000,000.
Procure Fuel for the State Fire and Rescue Service’s Operational Activities – N850,755,000.
Implementation of Feasibility Study for Lekki-Epe International Airport – N195,000,000.
Restoration of Water Supply at Iduganran Palace – N152,116,326.
Engagement of the consultancy on operations management monitoring and customer tools for Lagos State parking authority – N405,456,363.
Renovation of Saint Andrews Anglican Church, Oke-Popo, Lagos – N531,553,559.
Construction of Erelu Way / Dayo Eluk Community Link Road, in Amikanle Community the Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA – N511,539,758.
On-boarding of four MDAs and Twenty-nine Hospitals unto the E-procurement system of Lagos State Public Procurement Agency – N379,500,000.
Consultancy Services for the engagement of monitoring and evaluation specialist for NG-CARES Implementation in Lago State – N315,600,000.
Public Relations and Whistleblower strategy for the ministry of physical planning and urban development – N269,000,000.
Transformation Agenda for Office of Internal Audit – N100,000,000.
Capacity building and Competency Framework for Office of Internal Audit – N100,000,000.
Procurement of Fuel for Lagos State Emergency Management Agency Operational Activities for the Month of April – N74,524,650.
Procurement of 5 (Five) Brand New 2023 Mikano Changan Dynamic Saloon Vehicles for 5 lucky winners in the senior category during the recently concluded Y2023 Public Service Week – N83,796,250.
Renovation of IOGC’s Retail Fuel Station Located at Km 44 Lekki-Epe Expressway Ikota-Lekki, Lagos – N68,000,000.
His open letter has sparked a debate about the responsible use of public funds in Lagos State. See reactions below:
SavvyRinu: “It’s evident why some would rather die than conduct free and fair elections.”
Its_ereko: “to renovate Church ₦531.5m
Rechargeable fan ₦2b
Restoration of water supply ₦152.1m
Liquid Fragrance ₦7.4m
Deputy Gov wife ₦30m monthly.
Supply of chicken across the State ₦18.4m
Just check am yourself. Nigerians dey sleep”
Mykoladoo: “From what has just been revealed, one can only imagine what will happen to the national purse in Abuja. A complete squalor extravaganza.”
wandeoki: “@jidesanwoolu spends 7million on diffusers. Oga mi sir, is the BO of your guests that bad?”
n6oflife6: “Laslas Sanwo normally no suppose miss Prison bcos what is this Nonsense. Fraudulent expenses everywhere. 90% of it Has no benefits for the average Lagosian.”
chymaker: “Dear @jidesanwoolu. Please have some shame, remorse and integrity. This is all too obvious. Thank you for your understanding ”
teejayviruz: “I just dey read each item and I dey shout as I dey see the amount. 7 million for air freshener??”