Date Published: 02/16/10

Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL)

  The Humanity Centre: 610, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ijaye Bus stop, Ijaye-Ojokoro.

  P.O. Box 1592, Agege, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel: 01-4736534, 08023226276, 08037194969

  www.thehumanitycentre.org E-mail: cacolc@yahoo.com, dadnig@yahoo.com  

Name, Nail, Shame and Shun Corrupt Leaders Anywhere, Everywhere 

15 February, 2010 

The Hon Speaker

Lagos State House of Assembly

House of Assembly Complex

Alausa, Ikeja

Lagos 

Your Honourable, 

ALLEGATION OF CORRUPTION AGAINST LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT: THE HOSE SHOULD INVESTIGATE ITSELF AND PERFORM ITS OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) read with surprise and apprehension the advertorial placed on pages 44 and 45 of The PUNCH newspaper of Thursday, January 28 2010 under the title: The True Face of Lagos (A copy of the advert and text of the content is herewith attached for your quick reference). The publication, which was designated as “Part I” contained several allegations bordering on what its signatories, namely: Kasali Martins and Dr Tunde George described as “some of the expenditures which the government claimed to have incurred on behalf of ‘Lagosians’ and which we feel were mere avenues to corruptly enrich some privileged individuals in and out of government and to which the state House of Assembly under the tutelage of ‘governor emeritus’ otherwise known as the Lion of Bourdillon has become an accomplice covering up a lot of misdeeds on the part of the executive”.  

The duo alleged that the Lagos state government embarked on frivolous spending on white-elephant projects, unnecessary and excessive donations, lack of due process in budget implementation, illegal deduction and diversion of statutorily allocated funds and properties as well as inflation of costs of already awarded contracts. Other allegations border on opening of illegal accounts, indiscriminate borrowing, and creation of illegal government departments and sidelining Ministries, Departments and Agencies when contracts affecting them are executed, among others.  

Although the alleged ‘Mega Corruption’ involving the government of Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN in Lagos State is already in the public domain: The World Wide Web is awashed with it, Print media have published it, It is lately the main topic in drinking bars and in market places, the veracity of the issues raised in the widely published allegation is yet to be ascertained. 

It is possible to rapidly refuse to countenance the allegation as mere political gambit by rivals in the Lagos political turf, especially in the wake of the seeming laudable programmes of the government. But the perceptive and discerning mind would think differently. A point of serious consideration is the fact that about 65% of the fund involved in the alleged “financial recklessness, mismanagement, gross constitutional violation and abuse of office” is from the people‘s tax. This fact reinforces the urgent need for accountability in governance even when the public shower so much accolades on the political leader of that government in the course of the performance of his own side of the social contract he enters with the people by his election. No matter how laudable projects executed on behalf of the people is, its execution must be transparent and its costs must be appropriately accounted for. Whatever work done must be proportional to the amount of resources committed into it!  

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) as a group of organizations with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons at all levels has hitherto held the Lagos state in high esteem and would not want, or encourage anyone to jump into any conclusion on any allegation without availing those alleged the opportunity to defend themselves. We therefore have not concluded that the alleged are either guilty or innocent. However we have reasons to believe that the matter is in the verge of being swept under the carpet going by various political maneuverings noticeable among the ruling elite in the state and their political overlords and associated. 

It is therefore our earnest hope that the Lagos State House of Assembly, whose hallowed name has been stained by this allegation, would defend itself beyond any reasonable doubt that it is not in conspiracy with the executive arm of the government against the people by condoning financial recklessness, they should tell the world what exactly they did do. Different members need to tell us what was passed in the Appropriation Bill as yearly Budget, what oversight functions were carried out to ensure that the Executive did not execute any project or spend any money outside what was budgeted for and whether or not those who defended the budgets were involved in the execution of the budgets as well as what happened to all unspent budgets.  

We are delighted to learn that the Lagos State House of Assembly is making effort to live up to its responsibility by carrying out the investigation it is reported to have begun on all issues involved. We encourage the House to go all the way to do this without leaving any stone unturned and without fear or favour. We would want the Assembly to invite all persons and institutions mentioned in the publication for questioning on what roles they play or did not play in the area they are alleged to have soiled their hands. We would like to inform you that our Coalition has also invited the two official anti-graft agencies, the EFCC and the ICPC to do their own bit on the investigation of the matter. Everybody, no matter how high, mighty, powerful, influential or crafty must be given the opportunity to defend himself or herself openly and if found culpable, be brought to justice in an unbiased manner. 

Nonetheless, we have requested the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to step in and equally investigate the serious issues raised in the allegation. This is in view of the legal and constitutional implication of the allegations, and for the fact that at least two arms of the Government of Lagos State are involved. We are compelled to do this because these agencies, by the Acts that establishes them, are conferred with the powers and responsibility of investigating graft in all its ramifications, shades and colours. This is with a view to ensuring transparency in the investigation process and minimizing any possibility of treating the issues as a “family affair” in the long run.  

It is our belief that the cooperative endeavour between the House, EFCC and ICPC will go along way in either vindicating the amiable Governor Babatunde Fashola and his government or nailing a bunch of crooks in high places who will desire to subject the poor people of Lagos State to more poverty and squalour. If however anyone is found culpable in your findings, we urge you to waste no time in prosecuting such and ensuring that he or she gets maximum punishment available for such crimes so as to serve as deterrent to others. We thank you in anticipation of your prompt and favourable response and action on this request. 

Yours faithfully,  

Debo Adeniran

Executive Chairman, CACOL

08037194969

dadnig@yahoo.com

www.deboadeniran.blogspot.com

Monday, 15 February, 2010