The company that was awarded the controversial contract for the upgrade of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), the former of Lagos State governor, has denied receiving the sum of N78m for the got, even as the state government claimed it spent N78.3m to upgrade the ex-governor’s personal website between 2014 and 2015.

The state government report published by the Lagos Public Procurement Agency had claimed the government paid N78.3m for the upgrade.

The government’s claim was made public in the report, which was published on Lagos
State’s official website in May, stating that
N78.3m was paid to the firm, Info Access Plus
Limited, for the “upgrade of www.tundefashola.com website post-May 29,
2015 handover”.

Fashola’s website displays the activities and achievements of Fashola and also has a link to the website of Fashola’s wife, Abimbola.

However, the company which was awarded the
contract to upgrade the website said it received
only N10m for the job, adding that it was
mischievous of the state government to state in
its records that N78.3m was given to it.

The firm, according to Metronaija, said the website was not Fashola’s
personal website but only reports and documents
his activities as governor.

Curiously, however, the website has continued to
report the activities of Fashola even over 60 days after he left office.

The statement read, “Our attention has been
drawn to the Twitter campaign alleging that the
Lagos State Government, led by Governor
Babatunde Fashola spent N78m to upgrade the
www.tundefashola.com website, a site dedicated
to giving citizens unfettered access to the
governor’s daily activities and open access to
information.

“It is imperative to state here that the website in
question is not Mr. Babatunde Fashola’s
personal website but an official website which
reports and documents his official activities as a
way of accounting for his stewardship to the
people of Lagos State.

“While we do not hold brief for the Lagos State
Government, the selective loading of contracts
awarded and executed by the Lagos State Public
Procurement Agency is itself suspect and aimed
at a pre-determined end. The statement of the
contract line item and the cost ascribed to the
website of the agency are therefore misleading
and mischievous.”

The firm, which claimed to have been running
the website since 2008, said N12.5m was quoted
for the upgrade of the website which included a
complete redesign of the page templates.

It added, “N12.5m was quoted for the upgrade of
the www.tundefashola.com website, which
includes the complete re-design of all the
hundreds of page templates.

“Meanwhile, the LASG spent less than N10m on this and not N78m being circulated on the social media.

“Info Access Plus Limited will provide free
technical support for the entire life cycle of the
web site.

“Info Access Plus Limited will manage the
contents of the site, which consist of press
releases, speeches, photos, videos, etc. for one
year.”