Following the failure of former governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode to show up at the State House of Assembly to answer questions from the ad-hoc committee investigating his administration’s purchase of 820 mass transit buses, the house is set to publish his invitation in a national daily.
A 16-man committee set up by the house, and chaired by Fatai Mojeed, is investigating the purchase of the 820 buses, which the lawmakers claim they never gave approval.
Others who did not also appear before the committee on Tuesday include Akinyemi Ashade, Ambode’s commissioner for finance, and Seye Oladejo, former commissioner for special duties. Both were, however, said to have written to the house to reschedule them, as they are outside the country at the moment.
Speaker of the house, Mudaishiru Obasa, said at a plenary session yesterday that with the failure of Ambode to honour the request to appear before the committee, the house would publish his invitation in the newspaper and if he still failed, a warrant of arrest would be issued against him.
Proceedings from the sitting indicated that contracts and procurements were made by the last administration without due process.
A former commissioner for economic planning and budget, Olusegun Banjo revealed that the purchase of the 820 buses “was not routed through its ministry.”
Banjo who disclosed that he became commissioner in February 2018, said he did follow the system he met on ground, which according to him was responsible for shady transactions on the buses that were procured.
“The way the ministry is structured, it did not allow us to function well. The N24 billion did not come to my ministry. We didn’t have a running system. As a commissioner, I could not approve one naira. All the MDAs approached the governor directly,” he said.
Banjo confirmed that there was no provision for the purchase of the 820 buses in the 2018 and 2019 budgets and that no VOC was issued from his office for the purchase, “I never approved any VOC for it”, he said.
On unbudgeted funds, he said, “I don’t know what happens to unbudgeted funds when it comes because the ministry of finance does not inform my ministry, we don’t have a running system”.
Also answering questions, Shukrat Umar a former accountant general, said: “The State Treasury Office acted on Exco’s approval. The buses were in line with Exco’s approval. I would not know whether the Paris Refund Club was discussed or not.”
The Imota rice mill, light-up Lagos project and procurement of LASEMA rapid response equipment and engagement of the consultants were all done under shady circumstances as revealed by the heads of the MDA’s who were questioned by the committee members
All the projects including the Oshodi interchange and others it were also said not to have been captured in the state budget as confirmed by the former commissioners for agriculture and energy, Toyin Suarau and Wale Oluwo.
Ambode was said to have defied laid down constitutional provisions and the house and went ahead to award contracts without open bidding and also purchased equipment as well, the committee members confirmed.
JOSHUA BASSEY
