Lagos Deputy Governor Hamzat Denies N2bn Procurement Awards To His Office For Rechargeable Fans, Fridges

The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has denied a report that N2 billion was approved and awarded for the procurement of rechargeable fans, lights and fridges for his office.

According to him, what his office got was N2 million for the purchase of the items.

Hamzat also denied the report that the office, through his wife, spent N30 million monthly for outreach to indigents, noting that the amount covered the whole year.

The deputy governor stated this in a memo dated November 20, 2023, addressed to the Director General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.

“It is important to state that truly, the office did get approval and awarded the provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridges) for the sum of =N=2,017,840 (Two Million, Seventeen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty Naira) as against the =N=2,017,840,000 (Two Billion, Seventeen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira as reported by Doherty in his purported letter,” the memo signed by Director, Finance and Account, Tola Ekemode on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the office of the deputy governor, read.

“In addition, the report that the office through the Wife of the Deputy Governor spent =N=30,000,000 monthly for outreach to indigents is inaccurate as the amount stated covered the whole year. It is =N=2,500,000 per month. Same for the Empowerment programme by the Wife of the Deputy Governor which also =N=2,500,000 per month as against =N=30,000,000 monthly reported.”

While Maintaining that the report is untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded, he called on the agency to take immediate action to address the issue.

“The Office of the Deputy Governor wishes to state in unequivocal terms, for your immediate action and the attention of millions of readers that the report is untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded.

“We are compelled to write this letter due to the inaccuracies it conveyed; as the story was completely different and not a true reflection of what we have in our records. Also, we would not allow some individual(s) and journalists with mischievous inclination to bring the personality and name of the Deputy Governor, his wife and the office to disrepute,” the memo added.

Recall that THE WHISTLER on Sunday reported that the state 2023 governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Funso Doherty, had in an open letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu queried selected public procurement by the state government.

Doherty had written: “The office of deputy governor was awarded the sum of N30,000,000 for “monthly outreach of indigent citizens by wife of the deputy governor.

“Another N30,000,000 was awarded for monthly empowerment programmes of the wife of the deputy governor.

“The sum of N2,017,840,000 was awarded for the “provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridge in the office of the deputy governor.”

Doherty’s letter, which he shared via his X handle @funsodoherty has elicited several reasons. It currently has about 9.5 million views, over 9,000 likes, over 11,000 retweets and got over 1,600 replies.