21st November, 2023
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Tuesday that he doesn’t have a problem with Funso Doherty, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over the open letter on Lagos State procurement he wrote to him over the weekend, but he was aghast at the attempt to politicize issues raised in the letter.
“We don’t have a problem with the originator of the open letter; in short, we like him and we thank him. Indeed, if we are seen as the government that is transparent and responsible, we should not be shy of criticism,” Sanwo-Olu said in his first official comment on the brewing controversies of the procurement contracts published on the website of the of Lagos State Government.
Sanwo-Olu who spoke while inaugurating the newly built operational headquarters of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in Ikeja, however, said the controversy generated by the letter written by Doherty was unnecessary, as the state had nothing to hide in its public expenditure.
He added that while his administration will continue to value objective criticism, said some critics hid their malicious intentions under the guise of playing political opposition to misrepresent the truth.
”Over the weekend, we saw on social media how some people can politically turn around all of our attempts to be responsible, transparent and committed to good governance.
”We don’t have a problem with any individual. We, indeed, acknowledged that this is the way it should be. We appreciate the fact that people can look at us in the face and say you need to do well in this area.
”We don’t have a problem with the originator of the open letter; in short, we like him and we thank him. Indeed, if we are seen as the government that is transparent and responsible, we should not be shy of criticism.
”But, it is only when criticism is malicious and is misrepresenting the truth, that is when there will be a problem.
”Officers in Lagos State have come out to show that there could be mistakes on some lines of items. There was a particular issue where an item was meant to be N2 million, but was written as N2 billion.
”There are many discrepancies which have been corrected by PPA. We are not going to join issues with anyone on social media. All we are committed to is continuous service to the people of Lagos,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos had maintained open books for check and balances, adding that the state had judiciously appropriated funds to projects and services that benefited the residents.
”I lead a team of dedicated public officers, civil servants and a self-motivated team of officials that will always stand tall with anyone across the world.
”The building we are opening today is a testament to our commitment to responsible public service.
”This is a building that has been built on time within the budget and judicious expenditure. This is what we stand for in Lagos,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
FON/JNC