Why I refused to acquire new vehicles as governor — Sanwo-Olu

Lukman Olabiyi

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday tasked political office holders to be prudence in their expenditure and do away with unnecessary acquisition of material things.

Sanwo-Olu said the citizens would have trust and confidence in public office holders if, they are prudence in their expenditures.

The governor gave the advice at the 22nd Annual Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) held in Lagos while giving account of how he has been managing the affair of the state since he took over.

In justifying his call for prudence expenditure by political office holders, used his decision not to acquire new vehicles when he was sworned in as governor as example.

He therefore, charged governors to look into their expenditure profile and do away with unnecessary spending to increase state revenue for government to have more resources to meet the basic needs of the people.

Sanwo-Olu stressed the need for better utilisation of tax payers’ money by public office holders to build the trust of the citizens, adding that executive must work toward having a better reform process.

The governor boasted that he is yet to use state resources to purchase any vehicle for himself or direct staff since he assumed office as governor on May 29, 2019, said it is not a fanciful thing for that governor must buy brand new vehicles when there is no need for it.

He said: “We need to look at our expenditure profile as Chief Executive of our state and ask ourselves, where can I cut the red tape; what can I do away with and use it to increase the revenue of my state or even make available lot more money for my state for them to deal with.

“What I have done till date is that I have not purchased any single official vehicle for myself, for any of my direct staff or any of my family members from the government purse. If you see me have a convoy of 10 vehicles, these are all vehicles I was using during my campaigns.

“Governor Nasir el-Rufai joined me in one of my cars this morning and I can tell you that vehicle was one of the vehicles I used for my campaign; it is not brand new. And because we are in Lagos and being your governor, I have also been opportune to receive two, three brand new cars from very high spirited Lagosians.

“So, I said to my people that, it is not a fanciful thing that every governor must begin to buy brand new vehicles when you did not need to. So, all of those millions have gone back into the treasury of the state and we are using it to develop the state very well.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu who stressed the need to increase revenue generation without total dependence on revenue from oil, charged tax practitioners, especially members of CITN, to take leadership position and put themselves in rightful position that they truly deserved in Nigeria to increase government revenue and change the narrative in the country.