Two of ex-Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s commissioners, have denied reports that they indicted him during an appearance before the state House of Assembly to defend the purchase of 820 buses by their administration.
Wale Oluwo and Olusegun Banjo said the reports were a misrepresentation of the proceedings on October 15.
In reaction, Mr Oluwo, former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, wrote newspaper PM news, stating that its report with the headline ‘Ambode Shuns Lagos Assembly Again, Ex Aides Indict Him’, included a paragraph that was not only false but a complete misrepresentation of the proceedings.
He said that a phrase in the report had read that he and the former commissioner for Agriculture, Toyin Suarau, had said that many of the projects including the Oshodi Transport Interchange and others were never captured in the state budget.
He noted that PM news had the most offensive reportage on the same event of all the other news media observed that reported the issue
“That report is completely false and indeed a misrepresentation of the proceedings,” Mr Oluwo said.
“For the records, I wish I state the facts as follows: I attended the second session of the Committee proceedings on October 15, 2019, and cannot remember seeing a reporter of PM News inside the Committee room.
“The ex-commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Toyin Suarau and I were called into the Committee room at the same time. So the questions asked both of us were in the open.
“Suarau was asked questions on the Lagos State Rice Mill project in Imota while I was asked questions on the LED-UK street lights installations (a UK Exim Bank funded project).
Mr Oluwo said he answered the committee’s questions to the best of the information available to him and at no time was either of them asked questions on Oshodi interchange or any other projects outside the two mentioned above.
“It is therefore very disturbing how a reporter of PM News, purportedly designated to cover the State House of Assembly Committee proceedings, came about the report that ‘Suarau and Oluwo said many of the projects including the Oshodi interchange and others were never captured in the state budget’….this is strange,”Mr Oluwo said.
