Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, called the claim that the House spent N17 billion on a gate’s repair “funny and ludicrous” on Thursday. The Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, a self-declared organisation, had charged that the Assembly had used the funds to build a gate.
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The group also requested that the claim be looked into. Dr. Obasa stated during the plenary that the accusation was based on certain people’s anxiety about 2027, which is still more than two years away. The assertion that the House spent N200 million on its recently held 22nd Thanksgiving service for employees was further refuted by Obasa. It’s hilarious. What is the Assembly’s budget for the entire year that we would choose to invest N17 billion in a gate? They went so far as to say that we spent $200 million on Thanksgiving, which was untrue.
“We know that we should anticipate such things during a time like this, as the 2027 elections get near. I’m not sure why, but I believe that certain people are afraid. “This House has not started any such undertaking and has not done so. We’re not that careless. Dignitaries from all throughout the state joined our Thanksgiving celebration last Friday, the Speaker stated. The Speaker denied going to the National Assembly’s screening and confirmation of Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in response to additional allegations made by the organisation over their supposed relationship.
They said that when they were confirming the EFCC chairman, I was present at the National Assembly. I would like to think that the National Assembly has CCTV cameras to help identify attendees. It must have also been covered by the media. Therefore, more should be done by the group to verify my presence. The Speaker remarked, “This is just to deny the allegations in the public interest and not the writers because the writers are not those with whom we should be joining words.” Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, the House’s spokesperson, had previously responded to the accusations by stating that the Assembly’s operations are founded on honesty, openness, and responsibility.
“The group’s claims regarding the administration of constituency project and intervention monies by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the House Clerk, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, are absurd. A self-described anti-corruption advocacy group should have done its research before leaping across the fence, certain that it had struck gold, to defame a reputable institution in the interest of politics. In short, there are no such funds in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Constituency projects are not undertaken by the Assembly. Rather, the House hosts simultaneous stakeholder meetings throughout the state once a year, giving citizens a chance to express their expectations and seek improvements for the state. The executive branch of government receives these requests and expectations, which are then gathered and taken into account for inclusion in future budgets.
We are certain that this explanation has provided the necessary education if this is what the group considers to be constituency intervention or project money. Additionally, it is well known that the Executive arm is in charge of carrying out such projects, according to Ogundipe’s prior comment. Eromosele Ebhomele is the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker’s chief press secretary.
