Fashola: Jonathan Falsely Listed Lagos Projects As Part of Achievements

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday took on President Goodluck Jonathan for falsely listing Lagos projects as parts of what he had achieved in the last six years in office.

The governor described as an act of deception and deceit the listing of Adiyan Water Works (Phase I and II) projects fully implemented by the Lagos State Government as parts of the president’s achievements.

He disclosed this during the fourth anniversary of Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS) raffle at City Hall, Lagos Island, where he faulted the advertorials in which the projects were listed as Jonathan’s initiatives.

He said: “I was reading Page 64 of The Guardian, President Jonathan listed as part of his achievement the ongoing construction of the Adiyan Water Works (Phase I and II) projects. That advertorial is a lie. The Lagos State Government under this administration is the one building the waterworks.

“If the president wants to lie in order to win election, it is a very low point in the presidency (for the presidential election). There are many other things that were also said in the advertorial. In the advertorial, the president claimed that they have fixed the Airport road and built primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Lagos State:

“Those who use the PHCs know the people they see there. Many may not know about the project because it is yet to be completed. That project is being built and funded by the taxes paid by the residents of Lagos State.
“If the presidential campaign is based on lies, it shows how deeply corruption has entered and rooted in the leadership of this country yesterday. You can lie about the project that is not yours in order to deceive people for vote. That is a very low presidential watermark,” he explained.

Fashola noted that no amount of documentary “will change what is going on. We will continue to say the truth. Instead of governing, they have become filmmakers. In that advertisement, there achievement was that they under wrote a N40 billion loan for education in Lagos.”

He, also, pointed out that the president listed credit facilities granted to the local governments in the state as parts of his achievement, noting that sometimes when the local government in the state “needs loans, they stipulate that the state should guarantee that the council is viable to payback.

“The president listed the loans which he gave guarantee on as one of his achievements. This is the World Bank loans we took for education under the EKO project. The same party complained that we borrowed too much. But the Jonathan administration has gone ahead to list it as part of their achievements.”

He faulted the argument of some people that said the forthcoming presidential election “is between two ethnic groups in the country. If you did not vote in the previous elections, ask yourselves - if some people did not vote for this party: would you have gotten a house today?

“It was people’s vote that brought us here. If you win or you are aspiring to win, it is a matter of conscience; go and cast your vote on Saturday. Whether you worship or not, you will need food, shelter, water and others.”