A letter to EFCC, by CSNAC
10th August, 2015
The Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC),
3, Formella Street,
Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,
Wuse II, Abuja
Dear Sir
REQUEST TO PROBE
BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA
GOVERNMENT's OVER MISAPPROPRIATIO N OF STATE FUNDS
Civil Society Network Against
Corruption (CSNAC) is a
coalition of over hundred and
fifty Anti-corruption
organizations whose primary aim is to constructively
combat corruption vigorously
and to ensure the effective
monitoring of the various
Anti-graft agencies in the
fight against corruption and contribute towards the
enthronement of
transparency, accountability,
probity and total
commitment in the fight to
eradicate corruption in Nigeria.
Premium Times reported on
August 8, 1015 that, a
publication on Lagos State
public procurement office's
website for 2014 showed that,
the former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji
Fashola, while in office,
purportedly used N73.3 million
of Lagos State funds to
upgrade his personal website.
According to Premium Times, the contract for the
refurbishing of the former
governor's personal website, www.tundefashola.com, was awarded to "Info Access
Plus Limited", by the office of
the chief of Staff of the
governor and; that
interestingly, for a company
that specialises on building and upgrading websites, a Google
search for Info Access Plus,
revealed that the company
has no website of its own.
In
addition, after consultations
with technology experts, Premium Times found that,
www.tundefashola.com, created by the firm for the
past immediate governor, is a
WordPress website therefore;
an upgrade could not have
cost more than N300, 000.
Premium Times further related that, the 2014 document on
the Lagos State public
procurement office's website
revealed that the immediate
past administration is
shrouded with many other questionable expenditures
including:
1. The N1.2 billion vaguely
spent on the "construction of
pedestrian bridges along Oti-
Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway" which did not specify the
number of bridges;
2. The N17 million awarded
contract for the provision of
wall signage in three
magistrate courts;
3. The N3.46 billion spent for
the construction of a beach
resort in Ilase;
4. The N61 million disbursed
for a Range Rover SUV and 2
Toyota Hilux trucks as the official vehicle of the Chief
Judge of the State;
5. The N85 million used for the
repair and replacement of
street signs;
6. The N330 million expended for the development of the
residence of Mr. Fashola's
deputy, Adejoke Orelope-
Adefulire and;
7. The N94 million spent on
"printer consumables"
.
8. Approval of N78.3million
for update and maintenance
of a personal website for Mr.
Fashola and which the implementing, info Access
plus limited, company has
publicly acknowledged the
receipt of less than N10million
for the job.
Furthermore, in an interview with The Punch on 6 th
August, 2015 and published by
The Punch on 7th August, 2015
on its website, the Executive
Chairman of Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran stated that
another civil society
organization, Socio-Economic
Right Accountability Project
(SERAP) concerned about the
high number of dilapidated schools in the state, invoked
the Freedom of Information
(FOI) Act to know how the
Fashola government spent the
$200m World Bank education
funds, but that the state government allegedly refused
to disclose it; basing non-
disclosure on self interpreted
assertion that the FOI Act
does not apply to state
governments, a claim trashed by several rulings of different
high courts across the
country.
Also, Mr. Adeniran said
independent investigations by
his organisation showed that the 1.36km Lekki-Ikoyi Link
Bridge which was
purportedly built for N25bn
under Mr. Fashola's
administration, cost only N6bn.
However, Mr. Debo Adeniran
stated in that interview that,
despite the several petitions
that had been written to your
Commission to probe the various projects of the Fashola
government in face of the
over N500 billion debt left
behind by the administration, the Commission had continued to ignore all
petitions notwithstanding
that the former governor no
longer enjoys immunity.
CSNAC is hereby requesting
that these allegations against the former governor of Lagos
State be thoroughly
investigated and the falsity or
verity be proven.
We would
like to believe that this
petition would be given utmost attention as
speculations in the media and
among the general public is
that members of the
governing party currently
enjoy special consideration and therefore not
investigated by the anti-
corruption agencies.
This perception, if allowed to
fester, will be detrimental and
dangerous to the 'spirit of the
new wave in fight against
corruption led by the current
administration.
We thank you in anticipation
of your usual swift action on
this matter.
The Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC),
3, Formella Street,
Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,
Wuse II, Abuja
Dear Sir
REQUEST TO PROBE
BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA
GOVERNMENT's OVER MISAPPROPRIATIO N OF STATE FUNDS
Civil Society Network Against
Corruption (CSNAC) is a
coalition of over hundred and
fifty Anti-corruption
organizations whose primary aim is to constructively
combat corruption vigorously
and to ensure the effective
monitoring of the various
Anti-graft agencies in the
fight against corruption and contribute towards the
enthronement of
transparency, accountability,
probity and total
commitment in the fight to
eradicate corruption in Nigeria.
Premium Times reported on
August 8, 1015 that, a
publication on Lagos State
public procurement office's
website for 2014 showed that,
the former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji
Fashola, while in office,
purportedly used N73.3 million
of Lagos State funds to
upgrade his personal website.
According to Premium Times, the contract for the
refurbishing of the former
governor's personal website, www.tundefashola.com, was awarded to "Info Access
Plus Limited", by the office of
the chief of Staff of the
governor and; that
interestingly, for a company
that specialises on building and upgrading websites, a Google
search for Info Access Plus,
revealed that the company
has no website of its own.
In
addition, after consultations
with technology experts, Premium Times found that,
www.tundefashola.com, created by the firm for the
past immediate governor, is a
WordPress website therefore;
an upgrade could not have
cost more than N300, 000.
Premium Times further related that, the 2014 document on
the Lagos State public
procurement office's website
revealed that the immediate
past administration is
shrouded with many other questionable expenditures
including:
1. The N1.2 billion vaguely
spent on the "construction of
pedestrian bridges along Oti-
Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway" which did not specify the
number of bridges;
2. The N17 million awarded
contract for the provision of
wall signage in three
magistrate courts;
3. The N3.46 billion spent for
the construction of a beach
resort in Ilase;
4. The N61 million disbursed
for a Range Rover SUV and 2
Toyota Hilux trucks as the official vehicle of the Chief
Judge of the State;
5. The N85 million used for the
repair and replacement of
street signs;
6. The N330 million expended for the development of the
residence of Mr. Fashola's
deputy, Adejoke Orelope-
Adefulire and;
7. The N94 million spent on
"printer consumables"
.
8. Approval of N78.3million
for update and maintenance
of a personal website for Mr.
Fashola and which the implementing, info Access
plus limited, company has
publicly acknowledged the
receipt of less than N10million
for the job.
Furthermore, in an interview with The Punch on 6 th
August, 2015 and published by
The Punch on 7th August, 2015
on its website, the Executive
Chairman of Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran stated that
another civil society
organization, Socio-Economic
Right Accountability Project
(SERAP) concerned about the
high number of dilapidated schools in the state, invoked
the Freedom of Information
(FOI) Act to know how the
Fashola government spent the
$200m World Bank education
funds, but that the state government allegedly refused
to disclose it; basing non-
disclosure on self interpreted
assertion that the FOI Act
does not apply to state
governments, a claim trashed by several rulings of different
high courts across the
country.
Also, Mr. Adeniran said
independent investigations by
his organisation showed that the 1.36km Lekki-Ikoyi Link
Bridge which was
purportedly built for N25bn
under Mr. Fashola's
administration, cost only N6bn.
However, Mr. Debo Adeniran
stated in that interview that,
despite the several petitions
that had been written to your
Commission to probe the various projects of the Fashola
government in face of the
over N500 billion debt left
behind by the administration, the Commission had continued to ignore all
petitions notwithstanding
that the former governor no
longer enjoys immunity.
CSNAC is hereby requesting
that these allegations against the former governor of Lagos
State be thoroughly
investigated and the falsity or
verity be proven.
We would
like to believe that this
petition would be given utmost attention as
speculations in the media and
among the general public is
that members of the
governing party currently
enjoy special consideration and therefore not
investigated by the anti-
corruption agencies.
This perception, if allowed to
fester, will be detrimental and
dangerous to the 'spirit of the
new wave in fight against
corruption led by the current
administration.
We thank you in anticipation
of your usual swift action on
this matter.
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