The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has urged the Lagos State Government to tackle the challenges facing Lagosians rather than accusing the Federal Government of underutilizing the huge revenue at its disposal.
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State had said that the Federal Government has been doing little with the huge revenue allocation it gets monthly from the federation account.
Fashola said this on Thursday at the inauguration of the Lagos State Economic and Empowerment Programme in Alausa, Ikeja, adding that the Federal Government had failed to use its share of the allocation to better the lives of the citizens.
Reacting to this, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Mr. Debo Adeniran noted that Governor Fashola’s accusation is a case of pot calling kettle black.
“It is unfortunate we have a set of shameless people at the helms of affairs in the Nigeria of today. Our argument is not that the Federal Government is performing well, but a case of a governor of a state whose citizens are coping with dearth of infrastructure getting up to accuse another of the same sin he is guilty of, is an height of hypocrisy.
It is a known fact that Lagos State is one of the states that get the bulk of federal allocation aside its internally generated revenue that is running into billions of dollars, but still fails to provide the basic amenities for its citizens. The state of infrastructure in Lagos State is deplorable: in terms of health, education and environmental infrastructure. Many of the roads in the hinterlands in Lagos are in state of disrepair and the ones Lagos State government claims it is constructing are perpetually under construction for the past years. Commuters are subjected to harrowing experiences on Lagos Roads wasting manhour; pupils sit on bare floor in Lagos schools despite the $90m World Bank Eko Project grant; hospitals have become more like consulting clinics and so on. Many of the projects that were even executed just lasted enough for exhibition to the media at commissioning; most of them are on the verge of collapse.
As a matter of fact, what Lagos State that prides itself as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ with a presumed mega city status, has to show for this rating are several dysfunctional infrastructural facilities while the residents groan under the weight of infrastructural decay. Basically, Lagos State government is doing little with the huge amount accruing to it from the Federation Account, its internally generated revenue and loans and grants from local and international funders. The massive use of propaganda by this administration to arm-twist Lagosians into believing in dividend of democracy through the provision of non-existent health care system, transport system and other social services has been laid bare,” Adeniran stated.
The human rights activist however urged the LASG to perform its statutory function by providing the basic amenities of life to Lagosians rather than accusing the Federal Government of not living up to expectation.
Abimbola Adegoke
Media Officer, CACOL
22 August, 2014
