Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State, has alleged that State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spent over N1 billion on helicopter services within one month.
Rhodes-Vivour disclosed that Sanwo-Olu allocated N1,039,875,000 for helicopter charter service in April 2022. This revelation was made in a post shared on his social media handle on Tuesday. Additionally, he highlighted that the governor expended N512,000,000 on the same service in July and August 2023.
He pointed out that in April 2022 alone, the Lagos state government allocated N1,039,875,000 for helicopter charter service for the Governor’s regular travel. Additionally, in July and August 2023, a total of N512,000,000 was spent on the same helicopters.
Rhodes-Vivour raised concerns about the justification for allocating nearly N2 billion within three months for helicopter charter services for the governor, especially considering that some areas in the state still lack access to clean water.
He questioned whether it was appropriate for Lagos to spend such a significant amount on transporting the governor via private helicopter while many parts of his primary constituency on Lagos Island lack access to clean, running water.
Rhodes-Vivour elaborated further, highlighting that with N1.2 billion, it could cover the monthly salaries of 1,000 teachers at N100,000 each for a year. He emphasized that if he were leading the government, drones would replace helicopters for project supervision, resulting in significant savings for the state.
This approach, he argued, would redirect funds towards human capital development.
He emphasized, “A Rhodes-Vivour administration will prioritize the best use of public funds, ensuring they are channeled towards essential areas like education.” He reiterated his commitment to not using public funds for officials’ private jet travels. Any official wishing to fly privately, he stated, would have to cover the expenses themselves.
Despite attempts to reach out for comment, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Gboyega Akosile, remained unreachable at the time of reporting.
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