Hamzat talks Lagos finances, says accounts checked every year

Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, has defended the state's financial openness. He said government accounts, audit reports, procurement records, and project costs are available for the public to see.

Hamzat mentioned that his future administration would keep this transparency going through the Lagos Treasury and the Hamzat Compact. He believes this will help residents access details about government revenue, spending, loans, and projects.

He spoke during a town hall meeting hosted by BusinessDay. There, he answered questions about the transparency and accountability in managing public funds.

The deputy governor noted that the state government shares its financial information every three months and has annual external audits for its accounts.

He invited residents who doubt the government’s transparency to check the information on the Lagos State Government’s website.

He said, “Somebody on this floor said, I saw the publication, and I critique it.’ It’s because it’s there. It is because it’s there. It is published quarterly. This state gets audited. This government publishes it quarterly.

“Every year, external auditors audit the Lagos State Government; every year, the report is presented publicly. So what you choose to see, well, maybe you need to give it up, but we’ll give it. So the bottom line is that everything today is published.”

Hamzat also mentioned that information on government procurement and partnerships with private companies is available on specific websites.

He explained that the state has a public-private partnership office to provide details on projects that involve the government and private investors.

On the topic of government loans, the APC candidate stated that the Debt Management Office must record loans and the related projects. He added that necessary information is also sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Assembly.

He said, “But for us, what is important is to make sure that every money that is spent, that we have a DMO office.

“That office must write for every project that we do, for every loan that we get, for everything that we must do. We must send it to SEC, must send it to the Senate. So it’s public information. It’s transparent, it’s open, and you can see what the state government is doing.”

Hamzat further pointed to the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines as examples of projects with public contract amounts. He argued that the government reveals the costs of its infrastructure investments.

He said making this information available is part of the transparency plan he aims to keep in his future administration.