PDP urges EFCC to probe Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola

The Lagos State Chapter of the PDP on Sunday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the activities of the Fashola led Lagos State Government, alleging massive corruption in the administration.

“Recently, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Ikuforiji had disclosed plans by House Committees to begin probe of Ministries in the state. This move we learnt has been vehemently opposed to by Governor Fashola and the leadership of the ACN” he said.

Lagos State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Tunji Shelle alleged that the state was trying to hide the massive misappropriation of public funds by gagging its officials from speaking to the media.

Shelle said that there was need for Lagos state to give statistics on projects it is handling and allow the public to have access to such information to know if its claims were true or false.

“What Fashola, a so called progressive governor had done was to warn his commissioners never to speak to the media on the state projects as well as activities in their ministries” he said.

The PDP Chairman described as hypocrisy, the stand of a state government that pretends to be open yet was the worst dictatorship in democratic setting.

“Media personnel covering the government house including the deputy governor’s office are now forced to swear to an oath of silence.

“Media houses that have in the past tried to reveal happenings in the state house were banned from covering the governor/deputy and the ministries” Shelle said.

According to him, there is need for Governor Fashola to explain the utilisation of over N23B Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) money.

“Lagos has now become a hub for armed robbers and kidnappers. In Festac, Lekki as in most other parts of the state, people no longer sleep conveniently because of daily robbery in their homes. They have recently denied security cameras in the State contrary to the claim by the LSSTF”

“Recently the Ejigbo local Council development Area Chairman, Mr Kehinde Bamgbetan was kidnapped. There has been over 20 kidnapping recently of foreigners and these incidents were kept away from the public by the state”.

“We are worried that the continued silence of the state government has become very dangerous and is unfair to the entire people of Lagos State.

“The security and peace for residents of Lagos must not be politicised because anyone can be affected” the PDP chairman said.

Shelle however expressed uncertainty in completion of the Light Rail project by June 2013 as promised by Governor Fashola inspite of the over N1trillion allegedly spent.

He advised Governor Fashola to give a human face to the purported Housing Estates of the state which he said was out of the reach of middle and Low income earners.

Shelle also challenged Fashola to tell the people of Lagos State why he had continued to be silent on the conversion of Lagos State Assets by his Predecessor. Such assets include: LASPOTECH premises in Ikosi, Ikoyi-Obalende Local Government Secretariat, the Nursing School building in Ikoyi, Part of Governor’s Land at Alausa and the Governors house in Ikoyi amongst others.

“Come 2015 when the PDP takes over, we will bring the present administration and its predecessor to book and expose a corruption never unheard of in the history of this nation” he added.