Published on December 10, 2013 by pmnews · 9 Comments
Nigerian activists and anti-corruption crusaders on Monday inspected some facilities in Lagos, western Nigeria, to draw attention to corruption in the state.
The activists, under the umbrella of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, said the alarming official corruption and propaganda are threatening the future of Lagos.
“The rate at which corruption is proliferating in the country is alarming and Lagos State has been governed by false pretences otherwise known as 419 governance,” said Debo Adeniran, CACOL Chairman.
Adeniran read a prepared statement at a press conference before embarking on an inspection tour of facilities from Meiran to Abule Egba areas of Lagos.
Adeniran said a study his coalition conducted shows that there is more propaganda in Lagos than real achievements.
“It is no gainsaying that Lagos has been running a government of grandstanding imbued by propaganda and bare-faced deception. The government only tells the people what projects they have executed instead of showing them,” Adeniran said.
“Through this study, we have found out that most primary and secondary schools are decrepit. Those supposedly decorated school buildings, especially those along major roads, are mere facade just to cover up the stinking rots that are harboured inside,” Adeniran added.
Adeniran said he was shocked that students in Lagos can sit on bare floor to study when huge sums of money are always appropriated to schools in the state.
The coalition said road projects in the state have been highly inflated by contractors in connivance with government officials.
“The Admiralty Bridge was constructed at N39 billion when the expected cost have been put at N6 billion. The Ramp constructed between Ozumba Mbadiwe Road to Falomo Bridge, even when it is not on water and less than 200 metres, was said to have been constructed for N2.5 billion. The Ramp was estimated to cost less than N50 million,” Adeniran said.
He added: “These are just to mention few instances where the present Lagos State Government has engaged in over bloated pricing for the few social and developmental services it renders.”
—Simon Ateba/Lagos