The Lagos State Government has been taken to the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, to compel the release of information regarding Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s claim of paying $100 million to the state government.

The claim, made by Dangote, has raised questions about the transparency and accountability of the Lagos State Government.

The originating motion, filed under the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, seeks an Order of Mandamus to compel the respondents to release detailed information about the payment.

The applicants, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum, are seeking to know if the claim is true, how the money was collected, and what it was used for.

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The lead counsel to the applicants, Barrister Yakubu Eleto, stated that the livelihood of the people of Ibeju-Lekki has been destroyed by the siting of the Dangote Refinery without compensation.

He noted that the Lagos State Government had initially claimed that the land was given to Dangote for free, but Dangote’s recent claim of paying $100 million has raised questions about the government’s transparency.

The case, filed on September 6, 2024, is yet to be assigned to a judge and is expected to be heard on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.