The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has berated former Governor Babatunde Fashola for spending N78.3m on the upgrade of his website, www.tundefashola.com.
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, said this during an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.
The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency had posted a report on its website stating that N78.3m was paid to a firm, Info Access Plus Limited, for the upgrade of Fashola’s website through the Office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
The PDP spokesperson said it was unfortunate that the governor could spend that amount of taxpayers’ money on a website that would serve him exclusively and not the people of Lagos State.
He said it was even more curious that the firm claimed it only received N10m as opposed to the N78.3m which was published on the state’s official website.
Gani said the website was more than 70 times the actual cost, adding that such reckless spending was what caused the debt profile of the state to rise to over N419bn under Fashola
He said, “This revelation, which is coming from the government, has now vindicated us. It has buttressed our claims that former Governor Fashola is not a saint. We have always known that the Fashola government was only using the so-called projects to deceive the people of Lagos State and divert money.
“Little wonder it is on record that he is the state governor to incur the highest debt in the history of the state. Fashola consequently is not a person that should be allowed to go scot-free.”
Gani said instead of giving Fashola a political appointment, President Muhammdu Buhari should start making moves to probe the former governor.
He said if Buhari failed to do this in the light of the fresh evidence of corruption, Nigerians would not take his anti-graft war seriously.
He said, “So, we are challenging President Buhari to sincerely fight corruption by looking into these allegations of fraud perpetrated under Fashola. It is only then that the people of Lagos and Nigerians, in general, would take his anti-graft war seriously.
“Fashola is not someone that should be praised for serving the state but a man who served himself.”
The PDP spokesperson said the party would submit a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He also urged the people of Lagos to march down to the Governor’s Office and demand that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode probe Fashola and reveal the contents of Fashola’s handover notes.
He added, “We have always reported Fashola to the EFCC but nothing was done. However, now that we have direct information from the state government, we will submit a fresh petition to the EFCC.
“But the most important thing for now is for Lagosians to rise, carry placards to the Governor’s Office and demand that Governor Ambode give us information on the handover notes given to him by Fashola and let us know if Fashola would be probed.”
(Punch)
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