Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has admitted that his administration is not immune to mistakes but has assured the public that his government is committed to public goods and transparency in its spending.
The governor made this statement on Tuesday while reacting to the procurement record released by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency during the inauguration of the Lagos State Building Control Agency Building, PWD Ikeja.
He also welcomed the open letter by the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress in Lagos, Funso Doherty, who had raised some issues about the government’s procurement process.
Sanwo-Olu said he appreciated criticism and that his government would continue to publish its spending and keep it open for public scrutiny.
“We are committed, responsible and transparent. We don’t have a problem with anybody, or any individual. We acknowledge that these are ways we should be doing things,” the governor said in a video clip shared by his aide, Jubril Gawat, on his X handle.
He added that he did not have a problem with the originator of the open letter and thanked him for his feedback.
He said that being a firm and responsible government meant not shying away from criticism, except when it was malicious, unintended and aimed at misrepresenting the truth.
Sanwo-Olu cited an example of a mistake made by some officers in Lagos who wrote N2bn instead of N2m for an item.
He said he was leading a team of dedicated, committed and self-motivated public officials who wanted to serve the people of Lagos with every iota of strength and commitment they had.
He concluded by saying that the government website would continue to work and display all the numbers for the public to see. He said that making mistakes was not intentional and that his government was mindful of what public goods were and would ensure that they were respected.