Fashola’s N78m website controversy: Knocks for Civil Society Network Against Corruption

‎A coalition of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) has counselled the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) which alleged that former Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), mismanaged N78 million of Lagos tax payers’ money on a personal website:www.tundefashola.com to match their allegation with action.
The groups comprising Samuel Adeola-Ilori- (lawyer and President, Vote for Service Initiative), Steve Aborisade (Executive Director, Projekthope/Media Integrity), and
Olumide Alasoadura (Engineer and co-convener, Congress of Electorates) in a statement in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday criticised the CSNAC of basing its allegation on references to media reports rather than concrete proof.
Noting that the allegation could have been politically motivated based on doubts cast by others on Fashola’s activities, the groups said that “it is important to note that our society and laws require more than doubts to declare someone as corrupt”.
Anchoring the release on ‎”Watching the Watchers! Corruption: Nigeria’s Civil Society Groups Must Come into Equity with Clean Hands”, the coalition said that it was not averse to curbing corruption in the society, but that with the Thursday, August 12, 2015 rebuttal by Fashola “including denying the claims contained in CSNAC petition to the EFCC, we are worried that more than anything, the call for criminal prosecution of Fashola may, after all, not have any basis beyond mere speculations, as the evidence the group relied on was, indeed, no evidence at all.
“Now that we have details of what transpired as provided by the accused former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, we can ask if CSNAC still feels the same way about its petition on the website issue, especially with the NO OBJECTION that the procurement department gave the bidding through the advice of the state’s Ministry of Science and Technology. This is not to say that the justifications offered by the former governor is sacrosanct, but to those who have contrary facts, the gentleman former governor goes nowhere, and we are sure without immunity, his prosecution can be initiated if that be the case”, the coalition said.
It, therefore, suggested that what the Nigerian anti corruption effort needed first and foremost “is a level of credibility that instills confidence in all citizens no matter their affiliation, and we are happy Nigeria has a leader now committed to the integrity of processes. Civil society organisations too must let their activities reflect the needed objectivity that adds credibility to their effort”.