Former Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola has stated that he never received security votes during his tenure as governor, challenging a long-held perception about the funding of security operations by state governments.
Fashola made the remarks on Friday while speaking during a panel session at The Platform, a public lecture organised by The Covenant Nation in Lagos. Responding to discussions on security funding, he said the concept of security votes did not apply to his administration.
“This security vote thing – whenever I hear some of my colleagues talk about it, I don’t know what it means because I never had it in Lagos. Well, maybe you were the governor, but I was the governor, so I speak for what I know,” he said.
He explained that all government acquisitions relating to security were managed through the Ministry of Budget and Planning rather than through a separate security vote arrangement.
Fashola further disclosed that Lagos funded many of its security initiatives through public participation. According to him, the state established a Security Trust Fund that attracted investments from residents and private organisations.
He said the fund operated transparently, with its accounts and assets audited regularly. The former governor added that his administration held monthly security meetings and annual town hall engagements where officials presented crime statistics and explained how security resources were being utilised.