PDP attacks Sagay for criticising Lagos new rail project

The Peoples Democratic Party, Lagos State chapter says the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), lacks moral justification to dictate to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on which project to embark on for Lagosians.

Sagay had said it made no sense for the governor to embark on the Red Line rail project when the Blue Line started almost 10 years ago had not been completed.

But the PDP, which spoke through its Publicity Secretary Taofik Gani, said Sagay should concentrate on his job as PACAC chairman and leave the governor to decide what is best for his people.

The party accused Sagay, which it claimed had a cordial relationship with Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, of failing to speak out throughout Fashola’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, to account for money spent on the project.

It stated, “Without holding fort for Governor Sanwo-Olu, the truth of the matter is that Prof. Itse Sagay lacks the moral justification to come up at his own will and criticise the government. This is the same person who is supposed to be in charge of a thorough anti-corruption drive but he has clearly abandoned that. He only criticises the government when it is obviously against his interest.

“We know that the Blue Line from the beginning was a complete fraud. It was project that was started with less than N6 billion and now it is over N46 billion. During Fashola’s era, the governor couldn’t account for the funds spent on that project, yet Prof. Sagay kept mute because of his close relationship with Fashola.

“There is no reason why he will now come and condemn the actual needs of Lagosians within the metropolis. We are talking of Oyingbo, Alagbado and other places. Look at the number of people who transit in that particular area.

“We condemn the attempt by Prof. Sagay to want to be the spokesman for Lagosians on what projects to they want or do not want. We condemn his hypocritical stand on this issue. He should come out and condemn President Buhari and others who have put us in this mess.

“We say it loud and clearly that Prof. Sagay is a beneficiary of the APC and government and he can’t be criticising a project that will benefit Lagosians. Why will he say Fashola’s projects must be completed? How many projects did Fashola himself complete and why couldn’t he account for those funds when his successor demanded for it? In a saner clime, Fashola ought to be with EFCC now, not as a minister of the Federal Republic.

“We however demand that Governor Sanwo-Olu must return to make a fair presentation to interested parties. Every kobo must be supervised and accounted for. The monitoring team can have CSO. Why should any government even be scared of ‘ombudsman’ on projects executed with tax and loans?”