The Probe Of Fashola

The Lagos House of Assembly investigates allegations of financial improprieties made against the Governor, setting off political speculations

By Eromosele Ehomele

M  Babatunde Raji Fashola, a senior advocate and Governor of Lagos State, has often been held up, even by members of rival political parties, as a model dispenser of democracy dividends to residents of the Centre of Excellence. Currently, however, his once squeaky clean image is being tarred with allegations of financial recklessness. An advertorial published in some newspapers on Thursday 28 January, alleged that the governor was not the saint Nigerians thought he was. Sponsored by The True Face of Lagos, TTFL, and signed by Tunde George and Kasali Martins, the governor was said to have bribed the 40 members of the state House of Assembly with N800 million; that is, N20 million each. The money, the grouped claimed, was sent to the House through a lawyer-member from the Lagos West Senatorial District which, coincindentally, is the constituency of the former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

TTFL, which noted Fashola’s engagement with construction of roads and environmental infrastructure in the state, claimed that there was more to the perceived development agenda of the governor. “In the last three years alone, a colossal sum of N1.1 trillion was budgeted by Fashola’s government, with the government itself affirming that it has consistently recorded a minimum of 75 per cent of budget performance, out of which 80 per cent came from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.  This is 30 per cent more than the entire budgets recorded by successive governments between 1992 and 2007 – a period spanning 15 years. Today, the total tax revenue of Lagos on a monthly basis hovers between N14 and N17 billion, while federal allocations come to N6 billion monthly. This is more than the revenue of seven states put together on a monthly basis. But how has the governor been spending the money?” the group asked.

Among other things, the group claimed that at a time when Lagos teachers and doctors were on strike for improved welfare condition, the governor gave N250 million to the Rotimi Akeredolu-led executive of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, for the association’s conference which was held last year in the state.

While accusing the governor of wasting N420 million on hiring private security guards between January and June 2009 despite his heavy investment on the Police Force through the State Security Trust Fund, TTFL added that the governor spent N1.5 billion to demolish the derelict Bank of Industry building for an ulterior motive

Parts of the allegation further read: “BRF government awarded part of Western Avenue (Funsho Williams Road), about 2 kilometres road for N7.7 billion just between Abalti Barracks and Costain. And without the construction of any bridges, the project was carried out by Julius Berger. This project must certainly be investigated. Between January and June 2009, the BRF government claimed to have fuelled 225 vehicles in his office alone with N135 million. These figures amount to about N800,000 per day, at a time that petrol was sold for N65 per litre and government always got it cheaper, but BRF claimed to have bought it at N85 per litre.

“Also between January and June 2009, BRF’s Chief of Staff and PAs expended N290 million in sending text messages and phone calls on their lines. It is also very sickening to know that the BRF government awarded the construction of a road and drains inside Gbagada General Hospital for over N1.8 billion to the DEUX Projects Limited. In a state, where children are sitting on the floor in classrooms, where unemployment is rampant and poverty pervasive, BRF paid a lady, wife of a controversial pastor, over N600 million in two years for Xmas Decorations for about six streets in Lagos.”

The group cited various constitutional breaches by the governor and promised to release more on such reports.

Governor Fashola declined to comment on the allegations last week, saying in a simulcast on state media, that he would respond at the appropriate time. But there were various denials by others  indicted by the welter of allegations. The state lawmakers felt most wounded. At their sitting on the day the allegations were published, each of them took time out to deny the claim. Raising the issue as a matter of urgent public importance, some of the members claimed that though the sponsors were faceless, the fact that they had their contact details on the advertorial was instructive. They also claimed that they had called George and Martins and that the two said they were ready to face the House. The six-man ad-hoc committee set up by the House to investigate the matter was inaugurated last week.

The decision of the House to investigate the allegations created upheavals in the Action Congress, and some affiliated groups, with some pointing fingers at the former governor and political mentor of Governor Fashola as the sponsor of the peddlers of the allegations. These people, mostly Fashola supporters, believed that his political godfather is trying his hands on a calculation that would ease the governor out of office before 2011 and went on the internet to pour venom on the former governor. They also organised a march to the assembly and the governor’s office..

Armed with placards carrying various inscriptions, including “Good governance must be sustained”, “Fashola carry go, don’t destroy the gains of continuity”, Solidarity for Achiever-Eko o ni baje”, “We say no to intimidation in Lagos”, “Enough is Enough”, “Best man must continue’’ etc, the protesters gave the House a piece of their emotion in favour of the governor.

The group, through Babatunde Awobajo, told journalists that, “So many governors have been coming and going before Fashola, but none has performed this much like Fashola. Though Tinubu brought him, I can assure you that he cannot remove him.” Representing the Igbo community in the state, Prince Tony Eze, a businessman, said his people joined the protest to say no to evil. “Fashola should not be distracted because he is doing wonders for many governors to emulate; he should be allowed to have another shot at governance.”

Speaker Ikuforiji, who found it quite uneasy calming the nerves of the protesters, told them that the House has the constitutional right and duty to probe the governor, adding that the lawmakers were merely performing their constitutional duties. The House has vowed to continue with the investigation and make the report public, leaving many wondering what will happen if the governor is indicted by the investigation. The answer may not be easily known but the Speaker and the party have continued to deny that the probe would lead to the impeachment of the governor.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of AC, reacting to various insinuations last week maintained that the feud between Tinubu and Fashola was non-existent. “The AC finds this allegation absolutely baseless and irresponsible because the advert in question, placed by a faceless group, made reckless allegations, not only against Governor Fashola, but also attempted to tarnish the image of Asiwaju Tinubu, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and indeed members of our great party in Lagos State as a whole.

“As a party, we affirm that the Lagos State chapter of our party remains harmonious, solid and utterly impregnable to mischievous political opportunists,” he said.

Mohammed added that the state Assembly has not commenced impeachment proceedings against Fashola and that such a process could only be started after a petition has been formally received by the Speaker. His position was corroborated by Ikuforiji, who assured that Fashola would not be impeached. “There is nothing like impeachment move in the Assembly. The Assembly represents a population of 18 million Lagosians. We will defend the interests of all,” he assured.

Like Ikuforiji, Chief Henry Ajomale, Chairman of AC in Lagos, said  Fashola cannot be removed from office. “Fashola is one of the best performing governors in the country. There are no grounds to impeach him. The Assembly is in place to protect the interest of all Lagosians,” he said.

Fashola himself claimed that Lagos State is not in crisis, and that the relationship between him and his predecessor remains rock-solid. This much was revealed during the commissioning of the City Hall in Lagos Island, last Tuesday. During the occasion, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, cleared every doubt when he declared that Fashola has done extremely well to deserve another term. He lamented the efforts of mischief makers to distract the governor.

Tinubu, too, while addressing a joint  press conference, described the purported feud between him and his successor as a ruse. According to the bespectacled former governor, Fashola has so performed that he need not be distracted. “Fashola still remains the best man for the job. But, if I see certain things wrong, I will not watch him fall and get some bruises before I pick him up,” he said.  He spoke at the press briefing in the company of Fashola and Chief Bisi Akande, National Chairman of AC.

But Chief Akande was more assertive on the claim that nothing can come between Fashola and Tinubu. According to him: “Why do we ask for feud when there is no feud? Their relationship remains intact. There is nothing to clarify the rumour. I have said it is possible for father and son to disagree on issues, but that does not mean they are enemies.”

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