Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
The Lagos State Secretary to State Government (SSG), Mrs. Folashade Sherifat Jaji, has been found to be involved in illegal contract deals through her ownership of Happy Habitat Cleaning Services Ltd.
The findings by SecretsReporters revealed that Mrs. Jaji’s company was awarded six contracts between 2021 and 2022, totaling multi-millions of Naira, in violation of procurement laws and suspected diversion of public funds.
Mrs. Jaji, born on March 10, 1957, began her education at Anglican Girls Primary School in Lagos before proceeding to the University of Ibadan, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1979.
She joined the Lagos State Civil Service in 1980 and held several positions before becoming the Head of Service of Lagos State in February 2015. She later assumed the position of Lagos State Secretary to the State Government on May 30, 2019, under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Our findings further revealed that Mrs. Jaji owns Happy Habitat Cleaning Services Ltd, which was incorporated on May 7, 2010, with Registration Number 885558. The company’s registered office address is No 18b Folashade Close Surulere Lagos, and its status is unknown.
It was discovered that Happy Habitat Cleaning Services Ltd was awarded six contracts between 2021 and 2022, with one of the contracts being for the provision of janitorial services for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, valued at ₦4,800,000.00 and Renovation / Maintenance of Staff Quarters for Year 2022 Located at Ogba (Lot 10) valued at ₦26,916,311.18. While the other four contracts were awarded by the Office of Civic Engagement for janitorial services in different quarters, with each contract valued at ₦937,500.00. The six contracts are valued at a total of N69,216,311.18.
This discovery raises concerns about the transparency and accountability of the Lagos State Government’s procurement process as it is illegal for public officials to own companies that bid for and are awarded contracts by the government because it constitutes a conflict of interest, which undermines the integrity of every procurement process.
When contacted via its email address, the Lagos State Government did not respond on the matter, giving rise to a call for a review of the Lagos State Government’s procurement processes to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness.
