The Office of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has refuted internet allegations claiming to have received N2 billion for the provision of refrigerators, fans and rechargeable lights, claiming instead to have received N2 million.
Viral online reports had it that the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat got N2 billion for the supply of fans, rechargeable light and fridges, while his wife got N30 million monthly for outreach to indigent residents.
An internal memo, dated November 20, from the office of the deputy governor, and addressed to the Director General, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, flayed the claims on the website over what is attributed to the deputy’s governor office on procurement.
The memo, also described the open letter as “untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded.”
According to the memo by Director, Finance and Account, Tola Ekemode, on behalf the Permanent Secretary, in the office of the deputy governor, it described the procurement agency’s claim and the online story with the headline: ‘Open letter on selected public procurement by LASG in the period April – Sept 2023″, which has been trending since last weekend on social media as total misrepresentation of facts.
The deputy governor’s office, however, urged the agency to take prompt action in addressing the issue by giving the general public a true account of what was approved for the Office of the Deputy Governor.
The memo addressed to PPA reads in part, “According to the online news, the Office of the Deputy Governor was reported to have awarded the sum of =N=2,017,840,000 for the provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridges).
“It was also reported that the office spent =N=30,000,000 monthly for outreach to indigents by the Wife of the Deputy Governor and same about for monthly empowerment programme by the Wife of the Deputy Governor.
“The Office of the Deputy Governor wishes to state in unequivocal terms, for your immediate action and the attentions of millions of readers that the report is untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded.”
