Labaran Maku
The Good Governance Tour, led by Information Minister, Labaran Maku has said that governors under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, “have something to hide” for rejecting the inspection visit to their different states.
Speaking on the occasion of his 2,100th day in office, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, had described the tour as “an attempt to appear busy”, saying the federal government “have no project to inspect.”
His view is in line with that of his Edo state counterpart who turned down a request to fund the accommodation and feeding of the team.
However, in a statement on Friday, Samuel Ajayi, the Coordinator National, Good Governance Tour, said the team has viewed the Lagos Governor’s utterance “with concern and deep regret” because the federal government has a huge stake in the governance of Lagos State.
“Governor Fashola should be appreciative of the Federal Government because far more than other states, the entire Lagos State like Abuja, runs on Federal Government infrastructure and services and Fashola knows that the Federal Government is doing a lot to keep Lagos State moving.”
“It is obvious that Governors of a certain partisan persuasion are nervous about the impending tour of their states,” the statement continued.
“This clearly demonstrates that they have something to hide. If not, why are they afraid of the tour of projects in their states?”
He stressed that the tour was non-partisan and that all the 36 state governors were part of the planning.
“It must be shocking to all who are familiar with how the Tour was conceived, and is being implemented, that it has taken Governor Fashola nearly six months to dissociate the Lagos State Government from the Tour,” the statement read.
“For the records, Lagos State was duly represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, on the committee set up by the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, to ratify the template for the Tour.
“The final framework was approved by all state Governors without exception.”
They began in September last year, with Abuja hosting the inaugural event.
It has about 100 delegates comprising state officials, journalist, civil groups, and nongovernmental organizations.
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