Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 gubernatorial candidate for the Labour Party in Lagos State, has accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of extravagant spending on helicopter services.
The allegation claims that the state government has reportedly disbursed over N1 billion in just one month for helicopter-related expenses.
Rhodes-Vivour said Sanwo-Olu spent N1,039,875,000 on helicopter charter service in April 2022.
He stated this in a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday.
He added that the governor allocated a total of N512,000,000 for the same service over the course of July and August 2023.
“In April 2022 alone, the Lagos state government spent N1,039,875,000 on helicopter charter service for Mr. Governor’s regular traveling. In July and August 2023, it spent N512,000,000 on the same helicopters,” he stated.
Investing such a significant amount of public funds into luxury services for a single individual while essential services like access to clean water remain inadequate in certain areas underscores a disconnect between government priorities and the needs of the people. It highlights a lack of accountability and responsible stewardship of public resources.
“Should Lagos be spending close to N2 billion in just three months transporting the governor in a private helicopter when most parts of his primary constituency in Lagos Island do not have portable water running from their taps?” he queried.
Speaking further, Rhodes-Vivour stated that N1.2bn could pay 1,000 teachers N100,000 monthly for a year.
He said a government led by him would use drones instead of helicopters for project supervision to save the state’s resources.
“A Rhodes-Vivour government will use drones as opposed to helicopters for project supervision. This will save the state funds that will be put towards human capital development.
“E.g. With N1.2 billion, we can pay 1,000 teachers N100,000/month for a year. This will bring us closer to our goal of achieving the best public primary and secondary school education system in the country.
“A Rhodes-Vivour government will not pay for officials to travel on private Jets. Any official that intends to fly private will pay privately,” Rhodes-Vivour added.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Gboyega Akosile, did not respond to the phone calls and text messages sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.
