Group wants Commissioner-nominee’s disqualification for alleged fraud indictment

Citing alleged fraud, indictment and expulsion by Ikoyi Club 1938, a coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of Lagos Good Governance Coalition (LAGCO) yesterday urged the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to reject the nomination of one of the nominees, (name withheld), as commissioner.
 
LAGCO in the petition, a copy of which was obtained by The Guardian, yesterday alleged that the nominee was once indicted for fraud and consequently expelled by an organisation, Ikoyi Club 1938.

The petition, alongside a document corroborating the allegation were on Monday morning delivered to the House of Assembly by placards-wielding members of the coalition. Some inscriptions on the placards read: “Lagos doesn’t deserve looters.” 

In the petition jointly signed by its Co-ordinator, Comrade M.M. Adebayo and Secretary, Comrade T Raheem, the coalition said: “It behooves on the House to exercise the highest level of discretion, caution, and transparency in the process of screening and approving those to become commissioners in the state in order to avoid approving anyone of proven corruption.

“Besides, the wife of the said nominee was recently appointed as director of the State Pension Commission. The husband is also being considered for the post of commissioner in the same government. This smacks of deliberate act of nepotism and cronyism that must never be allowed in today’s Nigeria.”