Fashola defends N78m website, slams CACOL August 14, 2015 : Eniola Akinkuotu
A former Governor of Lagos
State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has defended the decision of
his government to spend
N78.3m on the upgrade of his
website, www.tundefashola.com.
Fashola had come under fire
after the Lagos State Public
Procurement Agency posted a
report on its website stating
that N78.3m was paid to a
firm, Info Access Plus Limited, for the upgrade of his website
through the Office of the Chief
of Staff to the Governor.
However, Fashola, in a five-
page letter he personally
signed, admitted that the money was actually spent on
his website.
He, however, said the
breakdown of the transaction
was left out and that that
was the cause of the confusion.
He said, "As far as the website
contract is concerned, yes
there was a contract.
It went
through procurement and
was approved by the government agency
authorised to do so.
One of the
services was an upgrade
quoted for N12.5m but
awarded for N12m.
"There were other services that were new like a hand
over countdown clock, mobile
Apps for Google, for IOS and
Ipad, for Microsoft and for
Research in Motion
(Blackberry), which the existing website did not have,
as well as the annual
maintenance cost for
managing the website.
"It was for all these services
that the contract was issued for N78m, which the Lagos
State Procurement Agency
gave no objection based on
the advice of the Ministry of
Science and Technology, who
are the government's adviser on ICT matters.
"In publishing this contract
award which was the
government tradition under
my watch, the procurement
agency's website summarised it as 'upgrade' only without
detailing the other services
and this has been distorted by
the agents of hate and their
suspected smoking gun.
"
He, however, said the contract was published in a way as to
misinform members of the
public.
"It is regrettable that a
summary of the contract has
been deliberately distorted to misinform the public," he said.
He said the website helped
him to do his job effectively
when he was governor.
He
said till date there have been
over 27 million hits on the site while thousands of videos and
pictures had been uploaded on
the site.
The former governor hinted
of an alleged plot by some to
smear his name.
He said for instance, there were
allegations of having extra-
marital affairs and having
children outside marriage.
He said the allegations were
baseless.
He said the only children he had outside
marriage were the two
children he adopted after their
parents were killed in the 2012
Dana plane crash.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is rumoured to
be in a cold war with the
National Leader of the All
progressives Congress,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said he
had no hand in the June 9 National Assembly elections in
which the leadership of the
APC lost out.
He said he was outside the
country until the morning of
the election.
"As far as my alleged
involvement in the National
Assembly elections are
concerned, they remain only
the products of imagination of
those who made the allegations.
I was out of the
country at the material time
and returned only in the early
hours of that morning to
Abuja and from there
proceeded to Lagos," he said.
Fashola, while reacting to
recent bashings by the Peoples
Democratic Party over the
over N419bn debt he left
behind, noted that all the
loans taken by the state were approved by the House of
Assembly.
He said the debts were being
serviced, adding that the debt
profile of the state had not
affected it negatively.
Fashola also berated human
rights group, Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders, for dragging
him to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission
and for calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to
give him a political
appointment.
He said he did not care if he
was given a political
appointment or not as he had served Lagos State for over 12
years
He told the people of Lagos to
expect more allegations soon
as he had been told that
several people had been given money to assassinate his
character.
He said, "I expect that there
may be more distorted
allegations without evidence
for reasons that remain in the realm of speculation because I
have been informed reliably
that large amounts of money
are being paid to some of
these agents to bear false
witness.
"I cannot conclude without
responding to the crusade of
CACOL and their ilk seeking
my prosecution on allegations
that have no proof and
writing pre-emptive letters to the Presidency.
"In case they are unaware, I
am not looking for a job.
I
expect them to know that
allegations of wrongdoing are
not resolved without evidence, neither are they
resolved in press conferences.
"
While taking an indirect swipe
at those leaking information
about his deeds in office, the
former governor said, "For those who still wish to remain
in the mud, they should look
in the mirror.
For those who
wish to throw mud at me,
they should look at their own
hands."
Source: The PUNCHNG.Com.
State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has defended the decision of
his government to spend
N78.3m on the upgrade of his
website, www.tundefashola.com.
Fashola had come under fire
after the Lagos State Public
Procurement Agency posted a
report on its website stating
that N78.3m was paid to a
firm, Info Access Plus Limited, for the upgrade of his website
through the Office of the Chief
of Staff to the Governor.
However, Fashola, in a five-
page letter he personally
signed, admitted that the money was actually spent on
his website.
He, however, said the
breakdown of the transaction
was left out and that that
was the cause of the confusion.
He said, "As far as the website
contract is concerned, yes
there was a contract.
It went
through procurement and
was approved by the government agency
authorised to do so.
One of the
services was an upgrade
quoted for N12.5m but
awarded for N12m.
"There were other services that were new like a hand
over countdown clock, mobile
Apps for Google, for IOS and
Ipad, for Microsoft and for
Research in Motion
(Blackberry), which the existing website did not have,
as well as the annual
maintenance cost for
managing the website.
"It was for all these services
that the contract was issued for N78m, which the Lagos
State Procurement Agency
gave no objection based on
the advice of the Ministry of
Science and Technology, who
are the government's adviser on ICT matters.
"In publishing this contract
award which was the
government tradition under
my watch, the procurement
agency's website summarised it as 'upgrade' only without
detailing the other services
and this has been distorted by
the agents of hate and their
suspected smoking gun.
"
He, however, said the contract was published in a way as to
misinform members of the
public.
"It is regrettable that a
summary of the contract has
been deliberately distorted to misinform the public," he said.
He said the website helped
him to do his job effectively
when he was governor.
He
said till date there have been
over 27 million hits on the site while thousands of videos and
pictures had been uploaded on
the site.
The former governor hinted
of an alleged plot by some to
smear his name.
He said for instance, there were
allegations of having extra-
marital affairs and having
children outside marriage.
He said the allegations were
baseless.
He said the only children he had outside
marriage were the two
children he adopted after their
parents were killed in the 2012
Dana plane crash.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is rumoured to
be in a cold war with the
National Leader of the All
progressives Congress,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said he
had no hand in the June 9 National Assembly elections in
which the leadership of the
APC lost out.
He said he was outside the
country until the morning of
the election.
"As far as my alleged
involvement in the National
Assembly elections are
concerned, they remain only
the products of imagination of
those who made the allegations.
I was out of the
country at the material time
and returned only in the early
hours of that morning to
Abuja and from there
proceeded to Lagos," he said.
Fashola, while reacting to
recent bashings by the Peoples
Democratic Party over the
over N419bn debt he left
behind, noted that all the
loans taken by the state were approved by the House of
Assembly.
He said the debts were being
serviced, adding that the debt
profile of the state had not
affected it negatively.
Fashola also berated human
rights group, Coalition Against
Corrupt Leaders, for dragging
him to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission
and for calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to
give him a political
appointment.
He said he did not care if he
was given a political
appointment or not as he had served Lagos State for over 12
years
He told the people of Lagos to
expect more allegations soon
as he had been told that
several people had been given money to assassinate his
character.
He said, "I expect that there
may be more distorted
allegations without evidence
for reasons that remain in the realm of speculation because I
have been informed reliably
that large amounts of money
are being paid to some of
these agents to bear false
witness.
"I cannot conclude without
responding to the crusade of
CACOL and their ilk seeking
my prosecution on allegations
that have no proof and
writing pre-emptive letters to the Presidency.
"In case they are unaware, I
am not looking for a job.
I
expect them to know that
allegations of wrongdoing are
not resolved without evidence, neither are they
resolved in press conferences.
"
While taking an indirect swipe
at those leaking information
about his deeds in office, the
former governor said, "For those who still wish to remain
in the mud, they should look
in the mirror.
For those who
wish to throw mud at me,
they should look at their own
hands."
Source: The PUNCHNG.Com.
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