Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos State, has refuted the Public Procurement Agency’s assertion that his office received N2 billion to buy refrigerators, rechargeable fans, and lights. He also asserts that his wife received N2.5 million each month for her empowerment programme and outreach to the impoverished, as opposed to the N30 million the agency claimed.
In a memo endorsed by Tola Ekemode, Director of Finance and Account, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the deputy governor’s office, Hamzat claimed that the agency’s report was false, nefarious, fraudulent, and unsubstantiated.
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“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,” said Ekemode, who urged the agency to act immediately in resolving the issue and providing the public with a true account of what was approved.
“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.”
“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.”
