By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
The Lagos State Government has been dragged before the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, to be compelled to release information about whether or not Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s recent claim that he paid $100m to the government was true or false.
In July, Dangote, who is the President of the Dangote Group, said the firm did not receive any incentives from the Federal Government or Lagos State for the construction of its $20bn refinery at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
He made this disclosure during a visit by the leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, to the refinery.
Dangote said, “In the refinery, we did not, and I repeat, we did not collect one single incentive from the Federal Government of Nigeria or even Lagos State. Yes, the Lagos State gave us a good deal but we paid $100m for the land. It wasn’t a free land; we paid for it.”
According to the indigenes, if the claim is true, Lagos is required to give a detailed account as to how such a huge amount of money was collected “in exchange for the poor Ibeju-Lekki people’s land and why there was no public statement to the effect, and then to state which account the money was paid to and what it was used for.”
This was contained in an originating motion, brought under Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended; sections 1, 3, 4, 7, 20 and 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and inherent jurisdiction of the Honourable Court in the matter of application by De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum.
The applicants joined the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Attorney General of Lagos State; the Accountant General of Lagos State; the Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Lagos State, and the Lagos State Government as respondents.
According to the Media Office of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, the motion was filed and registered by the court with Suit No FHC/L/CS/1603/2024 on Friday, September 6, 2024.
The motion is seeking from the court an Order of Mandamus to be issued against the respondents with a view to compelling the Lagos State Government to release the information required by the applicants.
Speaking after the filing of the motion on Friday, the lead counsel for the applicants, Yakubu Eleto, said, “Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), as sitting Governor in 2015, using a public address said that they brought Dangote to Ibeju-Lekki in good faith to assist governance, to assist the Lagos State economy, that they gave him the land for free and that he didn’t pay anything for it.”
He said nine years after that, Dangote cried out, saying the land he used to build his refinery was not for free and that he paid $100 million for it.
Eleto said the people of the area had suffered neglect.
“We want to know where that money is,” he added.
The case, according to Eleto, has yet to be assigned to a judge, being that it was filed on Friday, whereas cases in Federal High Court are assigned Tuesdays and Thursdays.
By Tuesday, September 10, 2024, it is going to be assigned to a judge,” he said
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