A
contractor (name withheld) needed to collect his payment for a contract
he executed for the Lagos State Government. Having met a brick wall
everywhere he went in the pursuit of his payment, his boon came up with a
quick-fix. “Let’s go and see the ‘Lion of Bourdillon,’” he suggested to
his contractor-friend.
The contractor and his friend eventually managed to arrange a meeting
with the ‘Lion’ at his Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi residence in the wee
hours of the day. And as the ‘Lion’ listened to the contractor as he
narrated his story, it was apparent that he was tired as all he could do
in response was to yawn as he dragged himself from his chair.
“Lagos is tired,” the ‘Lion’ muttered, walking towards his bedroom, adding, “Eko wants to rest,” without minding his guests.
The bewildered contractor and his friend were confused as to what to
do next as the ‘Lion’ banged the door behind them and went off to sleep.
Some aides of the ‘Lion’ however advised the early-morning visitors to
come back later that day and preferably at midnight.
When the duo returned at midnight, they had to wait till the wee
hours again before being allowed to see the ‘Lion.’ This time, the
‘Lion’ had their time as he simply dialed a number, using his mobile
phone and the contractor’s problem was instantly solved.
There is no doubt that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has become a
personification of Lagos. Just as his word is law, he can do and undo.
What started out like an act of drama at the beginning of the current
democratic dispensation in 1999 has left Nigeria’s premier state, Lagos,
as a mere fiefdom of Tinubu who bears the titular toga of the “Lion of
Bourdillon.” Though there is nothing democratic about his bearing, he
is, in fact, an Emperor.
And there is no escaping the damning reality that Lagos is being
plundered by a group of political usurpers who wear the cloak of
democratic emancipators in an apparent case of parading immunity as
impunity.
It is, indeed, an irony that the people of the South-west , despite
their sophistication, have been hoodwinked into the present pitfall
through the doctrines of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, being
propagated by some desperate self-acclaimed messiahs. These masquerades
disguised as democrats on the platform of the National Democratic
Coalition (NADECO), purporting to emancipate the South-west from the
injustice of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election
won by a Yoruba son, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. Sadly, they only
ended up foisting a most fraudulent robber-baron on the Yoruba nation.
A man with a questionable past is today addressed as Bola Ahmed
Tinubu and he could bear any name from his weird past such as Yekini
Amoda Ogunlere, Hameed Sangodele, Yekini Amoda or even Bobo Chicago.
Ever since his inglorious eight years rule as Governor of Lagos from
1999 to 2007 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), to
date, he has more or less served as the chief looter who has unleashed
the most egregious corruption and reckless looting on the treasury of
Lagos State. Even as he hides under the guise of championing democratic
principles, various frauds including financial crimes have been linked
to him such that he can only be summed up as a perpetrator of diabolical
deeds.
Tinubu was formally arraigned before the Code of Conduct tribunal in
Abuja to defend himself against allegations that he operated foreign
bank accounts between 1999 and 2007, while in office as governor, thus
contravening Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act,
Cap 56 LFN, 1990.
The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, indeed had
his hands full with the many charges against Tinubu. The charge sheet
signed by the chief prosecutor, Kyari Ahmed, read : “That you Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State, being a public officer, as
listed in part II of the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and having subscribed to the Oath of Office
as enshrined in the seventh schedule to the 1999 Constitution on
assumption in office, as such engaged yourself in the operation and
maintenance of several foreign bank accounts namely:
“Name of Bank – First Heritage Bank, Country Club Hill, Illinois,
USA; Account Name, Bola Tinubu, Account Number – 263226700. Name of Bank
– Citi Bank NA. New York, USA; Account Name – Bola Tinubu and Compass
Finance and investment Company Limited; Account Nos – 39483134,
39483396, 4650279566, 00400220, 39936383. Name of Bank. Citi Bank
International, New York; Account Name, Bola Tinubu. Name of Bank –
HSBC, 177 Great Portland Street London WIW60J: Account Name Sen Bola
Tinubu; Account No. 71253670, Sort code-40-03-15. Name of Bank – HSBC,
177 Great Portland Street London WIW 60J; Account Name; Sen. Bola
Oluremi Tinubu, Account No. 71253670, sort code 40-03-15. Name of Bank –
HSBC, 177 Great Portland street London WIW 60J Account name, Sen. Bola
Tinubu – money market, Account No.04320002DN. Name of Bank – HSBC, 177
Great Portland Street, London WIW 60J; Account name: Tinubu Zainab
Abisola (Miss); Account No. 172447101. Name of Bank – HSBC, 177 Great
Portland Street, London WIW 60J; Account Name, Tinubu Oluremi Shade,
Account No. 41421522.”
The Society for Rule of Law in Nigeria (SRLN), has since hailed the
Code of Conduct Tribunal over the criminal trial of Tinubu. The group
described the trial as a welcome development, adding that “Nigerians,
irrespective of their political affiliations, must begin to speak with
one voice against corruption, because it (corruption) has no political
party.”
In a statement issued by its Coordinator, Comrade Chima Ubeku, the
SRLN said inter alia: “This is a kind of news that gladdens our hearts
and we hope that the Code of Conduct Tribunal will pursue the case to a
logical conclusion. He lied on oath by refusing to declare the operation
of many foreign bank accounts in the assets declaration form CCB-1 he
submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau on 6th January, 2004. We are
also waiting to hear from those bread and butter groups to make the kind
of noise that they used to make whenever a People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) member is on trial for alleged corruption….”
However, in what many have come to accept as a political deal for
delivering the South-west to the ruling PDP, the Federal Government let
Tinubu off the hook and the matter was thrown out of the Tribunal on
technical grounds.
Tinubu’s dubious activities came to the fore quite early during his
tenure as Lagos Governor. After just being sworn-in in 1999, the late
legal luminary and human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, instituted
legal actions challenging Tinubu’s academic qualifications, which were
discovered to be forged. The case of perjury, which has been hanging on
his neck ever since then is yet to be dispensed with, even as he can no
longer hide under immunity clause as a Governor. Being the questionable
character he is said to be, the only response Tinubu could give to the
premeditated Lagos House Assembly Ad-hoc Committee set up to clear him
of the perjury charge raised against him by Chief Fawehinmi in 1999 was
to admit full responsibility for some of the "needless errors,” whatever
that means.
He told the convoluted story to the Kangaroo committee that as a
result of the acrimonious primaries of the Alliance for Democracy in the
run-up to the elections, that the information contained in both the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) form and the affidavit
of loss of certificates were supplied by one of his political aides,
Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi.
While the fraud spotted in the INEC Form CFO1 had exposed Tinubu as
claiming that he attended St. Paul’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos for
his primary school education, the Ad-hoc Committee helped him adjust it
to the claim that he attended St. John's Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos.
It was clearly a case of a grand fraud applied to cover an initial
fraud because all through the findings of the kangaroo committee, no
mention was made of any testimony from any of Tinubu’s classmates in the
primary or secondary schools supporting his claims. It is as though
Tinubu attended the school alone! The case has however refused to die as
questions are frequently being asked on what has happened to the case.
The irrepressible Senator Ogunlewe had asked then: “Did Tinubu lie
under oath that he attended St. Paul’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos,
which was not and is not in existence; Government College, Ibadan and
the University of Chicago?”
Some political pundits opine that the case is still being covered
because Tinubu still goes ahead to bribe those who could bring him to
justice on the issue, including security agencies. He keeps boasting
that he will always get off the hook because all officials within the
Nigerian system have their price tags.
It needs to be recalled that in 2007, a group called the Lagos
Progressive Movement fingered Tinubu and his political godson, Babatunde
Raji Fashola, in a huge land scam running into several billions of
Naira in Lagos State. In a public statement issued on the matter, the
group had noted: “We, the Lagos Progressives Movement once again wish
to update fellow Nigerians on the various land scams perpetuated by
former Governor Bola Tinubu and being covered up by Governor Babatunde
Fashola. The facts are true and verifiable. We have gone further to
quote real names of collaborators and addresses of properties for
readers to verify themselves. Tinubu is the number one landlord in Lagos
and has turned Lagos land worth trillions of Naira into his personal
possession to be used freely or given away unaccounted for. Even after
he left office, Tinubu continues to steal Lagos land under the watch of
Fashola. He gives out Lagos land to curry political favours and still
occasionally signs certificates of occupancy even as ex-governor and
backdating them to the period he was in office. These brazen acts of
corruption are being perpetrated with the active collaboration of select
few public officers who are obscenely wealthy at the expense of Lagos
tax payers. His accomplices in the frauds are Gbenga Ashafa - former
Permanent Secretary, Land’s Bureau, since 2001; Mrs. Awofisayo - former
Permanent Secretary and a relation of Bola Tinubu from Iragbiji, Osun
State; Hakeem Muri-Okunola - former Personal Assistant (PA) to Tinubu
and now Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands; Mrs Nike Animashaun and
Tunji Olowolafe, who was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission
(EFCC) and detained for three days and later released, following the
allegations of financial impropriety levelled against Governor Babatunde
Fashola.
These people are arguably the wealthiest unelected public servants
ever in the history of Lagos State. They are major wheelers and dealers
of prime land. We mentioned in our earlier publication that the Land’s
Bureau at Alausa stinks of corruption. We catalogue below a few brazen
acts of stealing and corruption committed by Tinubu and aided by Fashola
on the good tax payers of Lagos. Tinubu’s greed and primitive
acquisition tendency knows no bound. In fact, it is believed that Lagos
land personally appropriated by him is worth over N500 billion and this
is growing because he hasn’t stopped. Some of the properties outside the
hands of the single largest landlord and which investigations have
revealed are as follows:
1. 4, Oyinkan Abayomi (formerly Queens) Drive, Ikoyi: A 5-bedroom
detached house on one acre of land which was originally the Lagos State
Governor’s guest house since 1979, but which now belongs to Tinubu. The
certificate of occupancy of the property valued at N450 million was
signed and released to him by Fashola in 2007 shortly after he assumed
office.
2. Tinubu’s residence at 26 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi was initially
falsely presented as Oando Plc Guest House. Later, he purportedly bought
it from Oando, and used public funds to rebuild and renovate it. The
Lagos State Government bought the property and paid an undisclosed sum
to him and thereafter gave the property back to him under the bogus
Pension Bill he signed to law shortly before he left office in 2007. The
property is worth over N600 million.
3. The annex of the Lagos State Guest House in Asokoro, Abuja was
bought by the State Government in 2006 for N450 million, purportedly to
protect the main house from security breach. Shortly after Tinubu left
office, the property was transferred to him under the pension plan he
signed into law before leaving office.
4. The 250-hectare land valued at about N35billion and strategically
located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road was initially meant for a
General Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa Local Government but was
stolen by Tinubu and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd - a company owned
by Deji and Wale Tinubu - to develop as Royal Garden Housing Estate at
the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.
5. The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at
Lakowe near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Lekki
Concession Company (LCC) which is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola
and being developed as golf course and housing estate by Assets and
Resource Management Ltd (ARM) as ADIVA project.
6. The prime land of 157 hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic beachfront
valued at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities of
Siriwon, Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given
to Ibukun Fakeye - his crony to build a golf course and luxury villa
with little or no compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu
paid $20million (N3billion) out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to
commence the project in late 2006. Fashola has since released additional
funding for this project, which is not owned by the state government.
7. The 14-hectare Parkview Ikoyi Estate foreshore land reclaimed by Lagos State Government is now owned by Bola Tinubu.
8. While in office, he allocated to himself the former Strabag yard
beside the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. The property is now
being developed into a shopping mall as big as the Palms in Lekki. This
is public property brazenly stolen and now owned by Tinubu, aided by
Fashola.
9. The choice property at Lekki-Epe road on which he built and owns
the multi-billion naira Oriental Hotel and the extension of multi-storey
car park beside it. Also, the multi-level recreation centre by Mobil in
Oniru Estate on Lekki-Epe road jointly owned with ARM and Tunji
Olowolafe. All these assets valued at over N25billion were obtained
without paying a kobo to the Lagos State Government.
10. Tinubu and Fashola sold the following prime Lagos properties to
their personal friend and front - Prince Dipo Eludoyin at very
ridiculous prices:
- The 3.8-hectare of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI (beside the Institute of Oceanography) valued at N3billion.
- The fishery landing jetty at Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen were to be relocated) valued at N500million
- The entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for a low-cost housing scheme valued at N5billion
- The Ilubinrin housing estate (which used to house Lagos state civil servants and judges up till 2007) valued at N2.5billion.
- The former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan, Epe valued at N450million.
11. Tinubu raised a loan of N4.7billion on Eko Akete project for
which nothing was achieved before he turned around to sell the property
to his Chagouri friends of Chagouri & Chagouri and Hitech
Construction Ltd at a ridiculously low price at the expense of the
taxpayers of Lagos.
12. Tinubu applied to personally purchase the Federal Secretariat
building while in office. When he couldn’t get to buy it, he directed
Fashola to stop the eventual owner of the complex to develop it. The
complex is presently wasting away courtesy of the Lagos State
Government.
13. It took several months of horse trading and underhand payments
before Fashola could allow the new owners of 1004 flats to redevelop
the complex.
14. Several other buyers of Federal Government properties and
developers of properties in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Government
Reservation Area Ikeja were forced to succumb to the outrageous demands
of Tinubu, Fashola, Commissioner Abosede and other officials of the
Lagos State Physical Planning Ministry and were made to pay ridiculous
amounts to private accounts before their redevelopments were approved.
Those who refused or were unable to pay could not develop their
properties. This is a major economic strangulation of property
developers and has contributed largely to the skyrocketing rent in
Ikoyi, VI and Lekki axis.
15. Tinubu converted all the plots of land where Lagos Polytechnic
was located at Ikosi near the old toll gate. He chased away the
Polytechnic in 2006 and went ahead to locate the choice plots to
himself, his cronies and political associates. The headquarters of
Television Continental (TVC), which is owned by him, is located there.
He deprived the youths of Lagos of decent education because of his
greed.
16. Tinubu singlehandedly sold the prime land on Aboyade Cole,
Victoria Island which was recovered from some allotees, to UACN
Properties Plc. The amount of proceeds was shrouded in secrecy.
17. Eludoyin, fronting for Tinubu, built the estate directly opposite Goshen Beach Estate in Lekki area.
18. Tinubu’s wife, Remi Tinubu, built the massive New Era Foundation
youth camp at the junction of Eleko, off the Lekki-Epe express road,
with Lagos State funds and has now converted it to personal use.
19. Tinubu owns the Fara Park Estate and the Beach Wood Estate both in Lekki.
20. The Critical Care unit at the Lagos State University Teaching
Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, built and equipped with state funds, is now
owned personally by Tinubu. He has put one Dr. Sikiru Tinubu, (a
supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is run as a private unit
and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit charges its users
exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its high
charges. Much of the revenue is derived from fees paid by the State
Government for patients referred there by its General Hospitals.
21. Several prominent Nigerians in the judiciary, police, INEC, and
other sensitive agencies have obtained prime land from former Governor
Tinubu and incumbent Governor Fashola over the years without paying a
kobo. Many of them had turned around to sell the land to third parties
at substantial profit. Many top officials in the police, INEC and the
judiciary who participated in the 2003 and 2007 elections and tribunals
in states where Tinubu has interest were compromised with parcels of
free prime Lagos land and cash. If the Lagos State Land’s Bureau could
publish the names and identities of beneficiaries of land allotees from
2000 to date, the scandal that will result is better imagined. Gbenga
Ashafa, now a Senator, and Mrs. Awofisayo were the conduits through
which these acts were being perpetrated. Both were also personally
involved in various dubious land transactions on their own.
22. Prime land and properties have been used to pay off public
officials who are personally close to Tinubu and Fashola for “jobs well
done” or for being privy to sensitive information, notably:
(a) Dele Alake, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, was
sold a whole house on Alexander Road, Ikoyi where he lived as official
quarters at a give-away price.
(b) Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State Governor, who was a former
Commissioner in Lagos as well as Muiz Banire, also a former
commissioner, got detached houses at Ladoke Akintola Street, GRA Ikeja
for their “good job” while serving under Tinubu.
(c) Yemi Cardoso and Wale Edun, both former commissioners, were sold
houses on Iru Close, and another location in old Ikoyi at give-away
prices by Tinubu. The list is endless.
23. Governor Fashola in the wake of the petition against him
presented by “The True Face of Lagos” to the House of Assembly has
succeeded in buying his way out of trouble by bribing each of the 40
immediate past members with cash and prime state land at Abijo GRA, off
Lekki-Epe road. He, in addition, bought a N40million bulletproof jeep
for the Speaker in a desperate bid to ward off investigation by the
Assembly.
These corrupt acts have deprived the taxpayers of Lagos billions in
revenue which could have been used for public projects. Indeed, the
prime land stolen from the Lekki axis is enough to build the Lekki-Epe
road without burdening residents and other taxpayers with the 30-year
concession toll road.
We know that people will say: why don’t you take this matter to EFCC?
Well the EFCC appears compromised on matters concerning Tinubu. If not,
how come he has not been charged to court despite several petitions
against him and in spite of Nuhu Ribadu’s boastful claims that he had
enough evidence to nail him?
It is evident that Tinubu is deliberately being shielded from
prosecution. Tinubu left office about six years ago and lost his
immunity but where is the Nigeria Police? But we know that eventually,
his cup will run over and he will be brought to justice. And why is
there a conspiracy of silence by those known to be dogged fighters of
corruption? Why are they watching as both men appear to be getting away
with corruption? We hope Lagosians will wake up and fight for their
rights. The elite should speak out now and force the EFCC to take
action. We once again call on the elders of Lagos, the elite at the
Lagos Island Club, Ikoyi Club, Lawn Tennis Club, Yoruba Tennis Club,
Ikeja Country Club, Eko Club, Metropolitan Club, The Boat Club, Apapa
Club, etc. We also call on the religious leaders, prominent traditional
rulers, the media, opinion molders and members of civil society to speak
out. Let us join hands in the collective effort to call on the
anti-corruption agencies, and in particular the EFCC, to act now and
move into the Land’s Bureau and the State’s Treasury Office at Alausa to
conduct a thorough investigation on land matters from 2000 to date. We
assure the public that if this is done transparently, it might be
possible to recover trillions of naira stolen from the tax payers of
Lagos.’’
It will be interesting to follow up on what has happened to the EFCC
intervention in the case of allegations of fraud leveled against Gov.
Fashola, by a body known as The True Face of Lagos , which led to the
arrest, detention and eventual release of one Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, a
prominent contractor and friend of both Tinubu and Fashola. He was
arrested in Lagos by operatives of the EFCC following its investigation
into allegations of financial crimes. Olowolafe, a medical doctor and
owner of Deux Projects Limited, whose company was used as front by the
Lagos State governor to execute inflated contracts, was arrested on
Friday, April 23, 2010, after investigators discovered that 27 contracts
were awarded the company from the state Ministry of Health and three
from the Ministry of Education.
He was drilled for three days while in the anti-graft body’s custody
and was believed to have made significant and useful contributions to
the EFCC efforts to unravel facts on the various allegations of
corruption against Fashola, which also led to the invitation of Fashola
himself and some members of his cabinet.
Despite the established fact that Deux Projects Limited collected
more than N10 billion from the state coffers, nothing has been heard of
the case even in the face of damning confessions by Olowolafe to the
EFCC while in their custody.
It is worrisome that the anti-graft body has failed to make public
its findings over a year now after confirming that investigation was
ongoing, with the promise that many more arrests were likely to be made
then. It smacks of a cover-up that nothing has been heard since the EFCC
extended invitations to three serving commissioners in Lagos State,
namely Rotimi Agunsoye of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs;
Rotimi Oyekan of Finance and Jide Idris of Health. Also invited by the
EFCC in connection with the corruption allegations filed by the True
Face of Lagos is the Special Assistant to Fashola on Works and
Infrastructure, Ganiu Johnson.
It is indeed remarkable that the petition against Fashola, which led
to the arrest of Olowolafe, went to the heart of the matter as members
of the group enunciated their desire, as tax payers and residents , for
accountability since taxes have recently become the major revenue base
of the Lagos State Government. According to them, in developed societies
where similar revenue regime operates, associations such as the group
have acted as government watchdogs.
The group thus stated: “This is why some of us have decided to take
up the gauntlet of championing the cause of taxpayers in the state.
After all, if we don’t pay our taxes, government can charge and
eventually jail us.’’
They revealed that in the last 10 years, tax revenue has come to
constitute about 75 percent of government revenue base, yet the
government never bothers to render account to taxpayers in Lagos. 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 percent of budget performance,
out of which 80 per cent came from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
This is 30 percent more than the entire budgets recorded by successive
governments between 1992 and 2007, a period spanning 15 years. The total
tax revenue of Lagos last year as the time of making the revelations
showed that tax on a monthly basis hovered between N14 and N17 billion
while Federal Allocations stood at N6 billion monthly. This is more than
the revenue of seven states in Nigeria put together on a monthly basis.
One question that keeps coming however is how Fashola has been
spending the money. According to the group, “While we note the heavy
investments in roads and environmental infrastructure mainly, and
commendably so, there is the need to question some of the ways the
governor has been expending tax money which, in our opinion, reflects
financial recklessness, mismanagement, gross constitutional violations
and abuse of office.”
Some of the allegations are as follows:
1. That in 2009, Fashola gave N250 million to the Rotimi
Akeredolu-led executive of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) for the NBA
conference held in Lagos, at a time when Lagos teachers and doctors
were on strike for improved welfare package.
2. The Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) government within six months,
January to June 2009, spent N420 million on the hiring of private
security – to guard who? – despite his heavy investment in the Police
Force through the State Security Trust Fund.
3. BRF spent N1.5 billion to demolish the Bank of Industry (BOI)
building, paying a company introduced by one Tunji Olowolafe in cash
transfer, only for him and his cronies to claim the land adjacent to it.
4. The BRF government awarded a part of Western Avenue (Funsho
Williams Road), about two kilometres road for N7.7 billion, just between
Abalti Barracks and Costain. And without the construction of any
bridge, the project was carried out by Julius Berger. This project must
certainly be investigated.
5. 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. The government always got fuel cheaper, but BRF
claimed to have bought it at N85 per litre.
6. Between January and June 2009, BRF’s Chief of Staff and Personal
Assistants expended N290 million in sending text messages and phone
calls on their lines.
7. It is also very sad 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 same Tunji Olowolafe’s company (DEUX Projects
Limited).
8. The sum of N1.5 billion of un-appropriated funds, without
approval, was claimed to have been spent on the demolition of Oshodi.
9. The Helicopter Deal was a big fraud. The helicopter was not built
for any kind of emergency evacuation, rescue or to even combat urban
fire. Over N5 billion has been spent on the two helicopters. And the
seal of Lagos State is not on it, and it is not even in Lagos but in the
Niger Delta making money for some private people in government. The
whole helicopter deal stinks to high heavens; it constitutes the biggest
governmental fraud of all times and confirms the rot in the State. See
THISDAY December 19, 2009.
10. The Senior Special Assistant , SSA (Media) to BRF spent N183
million in six months on press coverage and editors outside the approved
budget but funded directly from the Governor’s Office.
11. In a State where children are sitting on the floor in classrooms,
where unemployment is rampant and poverty pervasive, BRF paid the wife
of a controversial pastor over N600 million in two years for Christmas
decorations for about six streets in Lagos.
12. In six months, between January and June 2009, BRF spent monies on
several faceless organisations, subventions, grants and donations such
that they quickly pocketed N2 billion.
Other allegations of the group include:
1. The reckless increase and payment of over 60 percent increase on
the LASU – Iba road awarded by the Bola Tinubu government for N6.2
billion. It was jerked up to N10 billion less than two weeks that BRF
came on board.
2. The Tinubu administration awarded the construction of City Hall
for N2.3 billion. BRF only changed the floor tiles to marble tiles and
increased the contract sum to N5.2 billion. This project was increased
by 126 percent.
3. Publishing of INDICATOR magazine is falsely presented to the
public as a private magazine but is actually coordinated by Tunji
Olowolafe and Hakeem Bello, SSA (Media) to BRF with government money.
4. BRF recently gave a media-related Permanent Secretary and some
others the sum of N100 million to do a soap opera on himself. They are
presently in London recording the film.
5. The BRF government has failed woefully in the area of Public
Private Partnership (PPP) in three years. Yet, BRF is paying the PPP
boss in Lagos State N2 million per month in violation of the
Constitution, when even commissioners recognised by the Constitution are
receiving N300, 000 per month. The PPP guy is the highest paid
government official presiding over a non-performing and failed
parastatal.
6. The Beautification Programme of Fashola administration is laden
with corruption. In a State where there is no water, where over 90 per
cent of the road in Lagos is in a deplorable state of disrepair, he is
spending over N13 billion on planting grasses and flowers. Most of the
money was spent to import palm trees from Niger Republic, a Sahel region
when Lagos is in the rain forest, which explains why most of them have
dried up.
7. It is important to note that the renovation of classrooms of
usually 12 blocks-plus-one which was done for N26 million by the Tinubu
administration up till 2007 was increased to N53 million with the
collaboration of the housing commissioner who is supervising projects in
the education ministry.
8. The CCTV project was awarded to BRF’s relation who claimed to be
acting for CISCO. The contract was awarded for $62 million dollars,
while the rejected quote for the contract was $30 million. It is
important to note that this is only a pilot scheme.
9. BRF’s wife travels abroad once bi-monthly and takes N30 million
per trip from the State coffers, apart from her monthly running cost.
10. The mother of all rip-offs is the award to DEUX PROJECT LIMITED, a
company owned by the powerful Tunji Olowolafe, 11 out of 19 contracts
in the Lagos State Ministry of Health between January and August 2009.
Out of N5.6 billion contract in the Ministry of Health, Olowolafe alone
collected N5.1 billion worth and was paid 70 percent upfront in cash.
Here then are the unanswered questions:
1. Why did BRF divert N1.85 billion in the Ministry of Women Affairs
and Poverty Alleviation to a project that was not originally provided
for in the budget but promptly awarded to Olowolafe?
2. Why is the administration of a lawyer like Fashola illegally
deducting funds from the statutory allocation of the Local Governments
in Lagos State?
3. Why was the Mayegun Scheme sold to Olowolafe and other friends and
cronies against public interest without any independent valuation by
the relevant agency of government? Why is the size of the scheme
shielded in secrecy? Why was N5.2 billion for which the land was sold
untraceable? Where is the over N2 billion loan borrowed to sand-fill
the place? What is the fate of the tourism and art-craft sellers chased
away from the place?
4. Pinnacle – why did the governor and his cronies engage in the
questionable transfer of 400 hectares of land to Pinnacle, South Africa,
when it is known that the company is almost bankrupt and the ABSA Bank
now owns over 60 percent of the company? What nature of PPP is this?
5. Why was the illegal sand-filling of about one kilometre in the
Badagry – Marina awarded for N1.5 billion out of which N700 million has
been paid, and yet the contractors and the Tourism Ministry have
completely destroyed all the historical relics and artifacts in the
area? It has also created an environmental disaster for West Africa
because of greed. And it appears the Commissioner has been settled.
Here’s a list of Fashola’s other alleged constitutional violations:
1. Flagrant and deliberate disregard for the Appropriation Law passed
by the Lagos State House of Assembly, in violation of Section 120 of
the 1999 Constitution.
2. Criminal diversion of funds without due approval of the Lagos
State House of Assembly, in further violation of Section 120 (3) of the
1999 Constitution.
3. Indiscriminate award of contracts without due process, without
following the laid down financial regulation as well as the public
procurement guidelines. The payment of such contracts is in violation of
Part (E) Section 120(4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
4. Illegal and unwarranted deductions from the Statutory Allocation
of the Local Governments. This is in direct contravention of Public
Revenue Provision of the 1999 Constitution and in violation of Section
162 sub-section 6, 7 and 8.
5. Indiscriminate borrowing by the Ministry of Finance without
legislative approval, which the Finance Commissioner calls bridging
loans, is a grave assault on fiscal federalism, a coup against financial
regulations and a shameful and criminal violation of Section 120(1),
(2), (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution.
6. Concentration of over 70 percent of Lagos State Government
contracts in the hands of one Tunji Olowolafe. This is the clearest
indication of the betrayal of trust by Governor Fashola. It is against
the Oath of Office he swore to; it is also a violation of Sections
14(4), 15(5) and 17(2a) of the 1999 Constitution on which social
objective of a just, free and equitable social order is founded.
7. Arbitrary use of Special Expenditure Vote for activities not
originally provided for under the Appropriation Law. This is a further
betrayal of fiscal federalism and a violation of provisions of Section
120(3) and (4), and Section 123(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution.
8. Payment of 70 percent up-front to persons and cronies for
contracts not yet executed. Similarly, this is a contravention of
Section 120(4) of the 1999 Constitution.
9. Giving arbitrary donations to selective professional associations
and faceless organisations for acting as sycophants without appropriate
authorisation by relevant constitutional bodies. This is a clear
violation of sections 120(4) and 123 of the 1999 Constitution
10. The fraudulent purported acquisition of two Bell 412 EP series
helicopters from a Canadian firm constitutes a flagrant violation of
Section 123(1) and (2) and Section 120(4) of the 1999 Constitution.
11. Furthermore, the award of contract of courts and other judicial
Infrastructure as well as procurement for the judiciary in Lagos State
by the Attorney-General, Tunji Olowolafe and Governor Fashola is in
gross violation of Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
In all these aberrations, the Lagos State House of Assembly stands
accused of keeping mute which portends that it has become inept,
archaic, drab, docile and inefficient. All the noise by the Assembly
Speaker about accountability and probity, according to the group, was
only to enable the legislators line their pockets and feed fat on the
sweat and toil of the people of the State.
The two leaders of the True Face of Lagos, Tunde George and Kasali
Martins, were forced to go underground to avoid death threats from
parties loyal to Fashola and Tinubu. Challenging the ‘Emperor of Lagos’
and his godson is fraught with all sorts of dangers. There is a killer
gang in their employ known as Team Lagos. The very dangerous group is
made up of local thugs and enforcers, largely belonging to the National
Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Each member of Team Lagos is
paid N1 million every last Tuesday of every month under the coordination
of the musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall.
As all opposition forces such as the True Face of Lagos challenging
the imperial domination of Lagos by Tinubu and Fashola are faced with
threats to their lives by the thugs known as Team Lagos, it has to be
stressed that even Tinubu and Fashola have had their share of quarrels
in the sharing of their spoils. The arrest of Olowolafe was said to be
the climax of the bitter feud between Tinubu and his godson over certain
fundamental issues, chief among which is the control of finances of the
state.
Fashola’s nemesis, as it were, was his complaint about the huge
monthly deductions of over N3 billion from the state coffers every month
as consultancy fee by Tinubu’s tax company, Alpha Beta, from the almost
N30 billion internally generated revenue (IGR). Fashola would have been
consigned to history, never to be returned as the flag-bearer of the
party for the governorship elections of 2011.
From the foregoing therefore, there is no doubt that the regime of
corruption in Lagos initiated by Emperor Tinubu and continued by his
godson Fashola has put the South-west state in a serious deficit.
LestWeForgetNaija
Edo
State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday signed into law a
bill passed by the State House of Assembly to consolidate all land rates
into a single charge with a promise that the law will not affect ninety
five percent of the people.
