In a recent revelation, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 Lagos gubernatorial candidate for Labour Party, has raised concerns over the spending habits of the Lagos State government, which overspends on consultancy services without engaging in competitive bidding processes.
The expenditures, totalling billions of naira, have sparked outrage among citizens and drawn sharp criticism from Nigerians.
According to official records, in May 2023 alone, the state government disbursed a staggering 4.3 billion naira on consultancy services for the update of the Strategic Transport and Mobility Master Plan for the Lagos mega city area. Additionally, another 6 billion naira was allocated for consultancy services aimed at the detailed design and supervision of quality bus corridors.
Further exacerbating concerns, the government spent billions on consultancy services for the engagement of a loan facilitator and further spent billions for the engagement of a loan transaction arranger and financial adviser. The cumulative effect of these expenditures has raised questions about the efficiency and transparency of the government’s financial management practices.
In a post on his Twitter handle, Rhodes-Vivour stated that “In May 2023, the Lagos state government spent: – 4.3 billion on consultancy service for the update of the Strategic Transport and Mobility Master Plan for Lagos megacity area.
“It spent another – 6 billion for consultancy services for detailed design and supervision of quality bus corridors. – 2 billion on CONSULTANCY services for the engagement of a LOAN FACILITATOR. – 3 billion on consultancy services for the engagement of a loan transaction arranger and financial adviser. – Over 3 billion on consultancy Service for engineering design and supervision of construction of Marina and Mile2 interchanges.”
He also revealed that these expenditures were conducted without the implementation of competitive bidding processes.
“It is important to note that these monies were spent without competitive bidding, thereby short-changing the people of Lagos.”
Rhodes Vivour, however, promised to prioritize transparency and accountability in government spending and pledged to make competitive bidding a norm, ensuring that taxpayer funds are spent judiciously and with the utmost transparency.
He also outlined plans to promote local content by investing in higher education institutions such as LASU and YABATECH. By developing and utilizing the capacity of these institutions, they aim to reduce reliance on expensive consulting services and foster innovation at a fraction of the cost.
