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Funso Doherty, a chartered accountant and politician in Lagos, has advised lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu to reimburse the Lagos State account for the funds spent on his trip to Grenada, asserting that such expenses amount to public waste.
In a letter dated January 26, 2024, addressed to the governor, Doherty argued that the trip was unjustifiable. He highlighted that Grenada’s national GDP, approximately $1 billion, is significantly smaller than Lagos’s economy, and there is no apparent trade partnership between the two.
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Moreover, Doherty emphasized that given Lagos‘s current budget deficit, which stands at N400 billion naira, the governor’s trip only adds to the financial burden of the state.
He urged the governor to consider making a refund of the trip’s costs to the state purse, expressing the view that the expenditure is not justifiable given the circumstances.
Doherty stated in his letter, “Grenada is a distant island nation with a very small population of approximately 130,000 people and a National GDP of just over $1 billion, both of which are a small fraction of those of Lagos State. Its economy is largely tourism-based and has very little complementarity, trade volume, and potential with Lagos.”
He continued, “As you are aware, despite concerns we raised, the State House of Assembly has passed and you have signed into law, a greatly increased expenditure budget of N2.27 trillion for 2024 with a projected budget deficit of over N400 billion which ultimately will be borne by the already over-stretched average Lagosian.”
In the backstory, it was reported that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu flew to the Caribbean Island, staying at one of the most expensive resorts in the world.
The governor attended a party in Grenada, residing in an 80-acre private location costing about $132,000 per night.
The Lagos State Government responded to the reports with photos of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s meeting with the Grenadian Prime Minister, citing talks on bilateral relations and discussions on tourism, agriculture, and other economic interests.
