N700 million is to be spent by the Lagos state
government on the purchase of 10 armoured
personnel carriers as donation to the police in
the state for security beef-up.
This means that the state would spend N70
million on the purchase of each of the
armoured tanks.
Though the state House of Assembly this
afternoon approved the request of the state
government which was sent through a letter
signed by the Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry of Economic Planning,
Bayo Sodade, the lawmakers were however
divided on the source of the funds.
The request had sought for the funds to be
taken from the state’s Local Government
Intervention Fund instead of the Police Trust
Fund.
Many of them also disagreed and argued that
the Local Government Intervention Fund is
meant to execute constituency projects selected
by members of the House rather than be used
to buy armoured tanks.
Ipoola Omisore representing Ifako/Ijaiye
argued that the letter was a personal one and
that it was not written on the ministry’s letter-
headed paper.
He also urged the House to look critically into
the request since there is the Police
Intervention Fund from which such amount
could be taken.
For Mudashiru Obasa, “the essence of the fund
is for each member of the House to choose
projects in his constituencies to be handled and
executed.
“We should not overlook the usefulness of this
fund because if we do, it would affect other
projects in our various constituencies.”
Funmilayo Tejuosho also explained that the
need of the people of the various
constituencies were very crucial.
“It is not something we can just jump into but
look critically. The issue of security is important
but where do we get the money from?
“We just completed a retreat and should not
throw the importance of the retreat away,” she
said.
Another lawmaker, Dayo Fafunmi also
supported those opposed to the request,
adding that this is not the first time“we would
receive such letter asking that we should take
money from a vote head. We have the security
trust fund that can generate funds for the
project rather than dip our hands into the
coffers of the fund.”
Lawmakers who also rejected the request
included Bisi Yusuf, Rotimi Olowo and Bayo
Oshinowo, who claimed that the letter had no
substance.
But the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Deputy
Speaker, Taiwo Kolawole and Olawale Oshun
appealed to the other lawmakers to see the
request as very urgent considering the security
situation of the country.
According to Oshun, ” in as much as the Local
Government Intervention Fund is meant for
constituency projects, the nation’s security is
situation is state-wide.
“It should be very important to us at this period.
I will want to ask that we look at it properly and
think of ways we can work with those
concerned.”
Wahab Alawiye-King also supported the
purchase of the security vehicle saying,” we
must spend so much on security at this period.
“A lot of us just came from Rwanda and we saw
the guaranteed security situation despite the
fact that they just came out of war. We should
try and liaise with the concerned authority to
see how the issue could be solved.”
Taiwo Kolawole, while urging his colleagues to
consider the request, said the state Tenders
Board refused to approve the letter asking for
the vote head that the ministry would get the
money from. That was why the Permanent
Secretary wrote to us.
“I will appeal to my colleagues that we should
accept it since Lagos is part of the solution to
the country’s security situation.”
Speaker Ikuforiji maintained that the request is
made because the Permanent Secretary knows
that the fund is there.
“We should see it as a donation by the state to
the police for the safety of the state. We bought
about ten of this kind last year and you know
that for a place of our size, we need a
substantial number of them for the security of
the 18 million Lagosians.
“We will get there. If the amount in the fund is
about N19.3 billion, a total of N700 million is
not too much.
“This is the first request from them and since we
have agreed that we would collaborate with the
executive, let us just approve this. We all need it
and we know what security means to the nation
right now,” the Speaker said.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/20/boko-haram-lagos-assembly-approves-n700m-for-armoured-tanks/