- Hamzat, in a letter to the procurement agency, described the report as false and untrue, urging the agency to clarify the matter
- Funsho Doherty, the ADC governorship candidate in the March 18 governorship election, has levelled the allegation against the deputy governor
Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos State, has spoken out about the purported N2 billion that was released and allocated for office supplies including fridges, lights and rechargeable fans.
Hamzat said he had only received N2 million for the project in a memo sent on Monday to the director general of the procurement agency.
In addition, Hamzat stated that his spouse received N2.5 million each month for their empowerment and outreach to the impoverished, as opposed to the N30 million the organisation had taken in.
In a memo addressed to the permanent secretary in the deputy governor’s office and signed by Tola Ekemode, director of finance and accounts, Hamzat claimed the agency’s report was false, nefarious, phoney, and unsubstantiated.
“It is important to state that truly, the office did get approval and awarded the provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridges) for the sum of =N=2,017,840 (Two Million, Seventeen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty Naira) as against the =N=2,017,840,000 (Two Billion, Seventeen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira as reported by Doherty in his purported letter,” the memo read.
“In addition, the report that the office through the Wife of the Deputy Governor spent =N=30,000,000 monthly for outreach to indigents is inaccurate as the amount stated covered the whole year. It is =N=2,500,000 per month. Same for the Empowerment programme by the Wife of the Deputy Governor which also =N=2,500,000 per month as against =N=30,000,000 monthly reported.”
Hamzat urged the agency to take prompt action in addressing the issue by giving the general public a true account of what was approved.
“The Office of the Deputy Governor wishes to state in unequivocal terms, for your immediate action and the attention of millions of readers that the report is untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded.
“We are compelled to write this letter due to the inaccuracies it conveyed; as the story was completely different and not a true reflection of what we have in our records. Also, we would not allow some individual(s) and journalists with mischievous inclination to bring the personality and name of the Deputy Governor, his wife and the office to disrepute,” he said