Beyond my plan to provide social security for people experiencing poverty, expand the middle class and deliver a Lagos that works for everyone, the most important promise I made during the campaign was to open the books and reveal over two decades of mind-bugging corruption, cronyism and kleptocracy that has robbed our beloved state.
I wanted people to see why it took 16 years to finish the blue line when they could have gotten more in less than a decade. Why, despite obtaining $200 million from the World Bank and donor agencies, Lagos cannot supply its residents with clean water. Why not a single streetlight is powered at night from Victoria Island to Ibeju Lekki, Gbagada to Mile 2, or Costain to Mile 12.
People needed to know why they drive on such terrible roads despite the taxes they pay or why hardworking couples cannot afford to make rent. Thanks to this reporting, we can see the smoking gun today.
Why would any Governor pre-empt arrest if he wasn’t hiding anything? Why does Governor Sanwolu need the court to declare that under and by the provisions of Sections 43 and 44 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, he is entitled to acquire, own, operate and manage both moveable and immovable property? If those properties were legitimately acquired from his hard-earned income, why must he seek refuge from the court?
Governor Sanwo-olu wants the court to declare that “the incessant harassment, threat of arrest and detention, against him upon the EFCC’s instigation by his political adversaries based on a false and politically motivated allegation of corruption is a misuse of executive powers and abuse of public office.” Laughable.
Earlier in the year, we exposed wasteful and ridiculous expenditures by the state government, showing how billions were spent on flying private helicopters, the purchase of SUVs at almost twice the original price, outrageous payments to consultants, funding party activities, personal legal cases, and so on. But that didn’t deter them, nor did that force a moment of introspection.
Lagosians must now demand transparency. Questions must be asked about what the Governor is hiding. More importantly, Lagosians must see that the 24-year reign of these pseudo-progressives is brought to an end, Lagos is not anyone’s empire to loot or pass on as inheritance and you’re no slaves to anyone’s greed or ambition.
#ourlagos
