On January 3, Femi Gbajabiamila, the immediate ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) and chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, commissioned several “legacy projects” in Lagos State.
Among these projects are an 80-bed hospital in Surulere, some mini-stadia, and a 484-bed hall of residence in the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
He handed the facilities to the Lagos State Government, admonishing public office seekers to prioritise the welfare of citizens. These projects all had his name engraved on them.
Tracka, a platform that tracks public projects, has now published a list of lawmakers who disguise government projects as personal donations.
FEMI GBAJABIAMILA
“Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila named taxpayer-funded projects after himself to deceive the public that they were self-funded and donated,” Tracka wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Attached were images of the Femi Gbajabiamila Conference Centre, the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence, and the Surulere Campus of the National Open University, Gbaja House.
BALA NA’ALLAH
Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, named taxpayer-funded projects after himself to deceive the public that it was self-funded and donated ?#OurMoneyNotYourMoney pic.twitter.com/LB5Kaw1cs6
— Tracka (@TrackaNG) January 9, 2024
The platform added, “Senator Bala Na’Allah tagged taxpayer-funded projects (ambulance and hospital beds) as donations to deceive the public that they were self-funded and donated.”
Attached were an ambulance and beds carrying Na’Allah’s name on them.
OLAMILEKAN ‘YAYI’ ADEOLA
In February 2022, Senator Adeola Olamilekan, who was representing Lagos West Senatorial District at the time, donated 20 ambulance buses, eight patrol vehicles, grinding machines, mini buses, tricycles and more to his constituents.
Tracka has disclosed that these donations were not out of the senator’s benevolence but were government projects.
Tracka wrote, “Senator Olamilekan Yayi tagged taxpayer-funded projects (ambulance and tricycles) as donations to deceive the public that they were self-funded and donated.”
Senator Bala Na’Allah tagged taxpayer-funded projects (ambulance and hospital beds) as donations to deceive the public that it was self-funded and donated ?#OurMoneyNotYourMoney pic.twitter.com/uPUX2WIIJx
— Tracka (@TrackaNG) January 9, 2024
Other lawmakers mentioned for doing the same are Aminu Balele, a House of Representatives member who branded tricycles with his name; and Fatuhu Muhammed, another HoR member who superimposed his name and picture on textbooks and notebooks donated to pupils in Katsina State.
In December 2019, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) released a report detailing how Nigerian federal lawmakers, in connivance with executing agencies, had perfected fraudulent means of pocketing billions of naira under the guise of constituency projects.
“These capacity building and empowerment projects have become a convenient conduit for embezzling public funds by the sponsoring legislators and the executing agency as they are difficult to track and verify due to their soft nature,” the report, which was signed by Bolaji Owasanoye, chairman, ICPC, read.
Courtesy: Foundation for Investigative Journalism
