Former Commissioner of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Olusegun Banjo
\nand his Energy and Mineral Resources counterpart, Mr. Olawale Oluwo in
\nthe administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode have denied
\nreports that they indicted former Governor Ambode before an ad-hoc
\ncommittee of the State House of Assembly.<\/p>\n
The Accountant-General of Lagos State, Mrs. Shukrat Umar buttressed the
\nclaims of the former commissioners when she appeared before the ad-hoc
\ncommittee on Wednesday, confirming that the State Executive Council
\n(SEC) approved the budget for the purchase of the 820 vehicles.<\/p>\n
The commissioners debunked the reports in separate statements Wednesday
\nnight, noting that the reports were a deliberate misrepresentation of
\nwhat transpired during at the proceedings of the investigative committee
\nprobing Ambode’s administration.<\/p>\n
The Speaker of the assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa had constituted a
\nnine-man ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of Hon. Fatai Mojeed
\n(Ibeju-Lekki I) to probe the procurement of 820 high occupancy vehicles,
\nwhich the Ambode administration under its Bus Reform Initiative (BRI).<\/p>\n
He had also claimed that the administration did not seek its approval
\nfor the procurement of the vehicles and directed the committee to Banjo
\nand other top functionaries that were involved to state their roles in
\nthe purchase.<\/p>\n
At the proceedings, reports had claimed that Banjo indicted the former
\ngovernor and that Ambode sidelined his ministry in the controversial
\npurchase of 820 mass transit buses and that the way the ministry was
\nstructured under Ambode did not allow him to function well.<\/p>\n
In his statement, however, Banjo denied the reports, noting that he did
\nnot say anything before the committee to condemn or indict the Ambode
\nadministration under which he served as the Commissioner for Budget and
\nEconomic Planning between February 2018 and May 2019.<\/p>\n
He explained that he appeared on October 15 before the committee based
\non a letter of invitation dated October 11, requesting him “to answer
\nsome questions on the purchase of 820 buses as they relate to the
\nfunction of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget headed by me
\nduring the last administration.”<\/p>\n
At the proceedings, Banjo said he told the committee that he was
\nappointed in February 2018 when the issue of bus purchase had already
\nbeen on the ground, pointing out that the bus issues were not contained
\nin the budget he managed, though could have been in earlier budgets.<\/p>\n
The former commissioner said: “I am deeply saddened and disappointed by
\nsuch sensationalism by hitherto section of the press and by its
\nuninhibited and deplorable abdication of a basic tenet of professional
\njournalism- impartial reportage.<\/p>\n
“I wish to state that I am not in a position to know what exactly
\ntranspired on the issue of the buses as I was not in government when the
\nissue was tabled and approved by the State Executive Council and neither
\nwas I drafted into the bus Steering committee on assumption of duty in
\nFebruary 2018.<\/p>\n
“My response to questions asked by the committee under oath was intended
\nto explain technical issues pertaining to the operations of the Ministry
\nand explain the anomalies they noted and seek explanations to, and
\nnothing said by me there was intended to or said in any manner as to
\ncondemn or indict anyone.”<\/p>\n
However, Banjo claimed that he brought to the attention of the ad-hoc
\ncommittee that the operating system of the Ministry of Budget and
\nEconomic Planning should be reviewed, claiming that he pointed out
\nmentioned other weaknesses of the ministry’s operating system in a
\nprofessional manner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Commissioner of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Olusegun Banjo and his Energy and Mineral Resources counterpart, Mr. Olawale Oluwo in the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode have denied…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n