Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has responded to public outrage over some controversial allocations in the state budget. The governor acknowledged that no administration is immune to mistakes but emphasized that the controversy is unnecessary.
The governor said this why reacting to the outrage from Nigerians after the procurement record released by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency showed some outrageous amounts were allocated for some items in the state budget
The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress in Lagos, Funso Doherty, had written an open letter to the state government asking why such amounts of money were allocated. The state procurement records showed the governor approved N7.5 million to replace liquid fragrance in his office and N3 billion to purchase rechargeable fans for the office of his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat. Other contracts awarded by the state’s Public Procurement Agency (PPA) in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2023 had included approval of over N440 million for the purchase of a new Lexus LX 600 Bulletproof Sport Utility Vehicle for use in the pool of the Office of Chief of Staff. The office of the Chief of Staff also got N18.5 million for the supply and distribution of 2,000 Noiler chickens across the local government areas and wards in the state.
The governor, in a statement by his spokesman, Gboyega Akosile, noted that the controversy was unnecessary, stressing that the state had nothing to hide in its public expenditure.