A construction company wholly owned by a serving Lagos councillor secured a N21.35 million contract from the Lagos State Government just seven months after its incorporation, an investigation by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) has revealed.
Vicross Construction Limited, incorporated in March 2025, was awarded a contract for the renovation and maintenance of government staff quarters at Block 30, Flat 3, Oladele Kadri, Ogba, Lagos.
According to the Corporate Affairs Commission’s Beneficial Ownership Register, the company is owned by Oluwaseyi Aramide Adelakun, a councillor representing Ward H in Lagos Mainland. She is listed as its sole owner, indicating 100 per cent ownership.
The contract was awarded by the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure on October 12, 2025, with an execution period of six months. The details are contained in the state’s December 2025 contract awards list published by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.
The timing of the award means Vicross Construction Limited had been in existence for approximately seven months when it secured the government contract.
Adelakun serves as the Majority Leader of the legislative chamber in her local government council. She is also listed as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council for the 2027 Lagos governorship election.
The development raises questions about the company’s eligibility, procurement requirements and the potential conflict-of-interest implications of a serving elected local government official owning a company that receives public contracts.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ON PUBLIC OFFICERS AND PRIVATE BUSINESS
Adelakun’s position as a serving councillor brings her business interests within the scope of the constitutional Code of Conduct for public officers.
Part II of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution lists chairmen, members and staff of local government councils among public officers subject to the Code of Conduct.
Paragraph 1 of Part I provides that a public officer must not place himself or herself in a position where personal interests conflict with official duties and responsibilities.
Paragraph 2(b) also states that, except where a public officer is not employed on a full-time basis, the officer must not engage in or participate in the management or running of a private business, profession or trade.
These provisions raise questions about the nature of Adelakun’s involvement in Vicross Construction Limited and whether her ownership or any role in its management is consistent with the constitutional requirements.
LAGOS PROCUREMENT LAW SETS QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The Lagos State Public Procurement Law 2021 outlines the conditions contractors and suppliers must satisfy before being awarded public contracts.
Section 26(4)(c) requires bidders to be duly registered with the Public Procurement Agency under the appropriate category.
Section 26(5) further requires bidders to demonstrate the professional and technical qualifications, financial capacity, equipment, infrastructure and personnel needed to execute the contracts they seek.
The law also requires bidders to fulfil their tax, pension and social security obligations. Under Section 26(6), the agency or procuring entity may request documentary evidence to establish that a bidder meets the relevant qualification requirements.
The contract award register identifies Vicross as a Class D contractor. The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency’s guidelines classify Class D contracts as those valued above N10 million and up to N100 million.
Vicross’s N21.35 million contract therefore falls within that category.
However, the Class D classification in the award register does not, on its own, establish that the company possessed a valid registration certificate, was registered under the appropriate works category or satisfied all qualification requirements before bidding.
The agency’s Circular No. 030, dated April 21, 2021, outlines the requirements for contractor registration.
Under the circular, companies seeking registration under Classes C and D are required to present two key staff members, one of whom may be a director or proprietor.
Applicants must also provide a company profile detailing their organisational structure, key personnel, professional licences and certificates, CVs and similar projects previously executed.
The circular further requires evidence of tax compliance for two directors or business owners for the three years immediately preceding the year of application, alongside evidence of development levy payments for three consecutive years, including the application year.
Although companies in Classes A to D may upload details of at least one director, the circular separately specifies tax and development levy requirements for two directors or business owners.
Vicross’s registration records would therefore be relevant in determining how it satisfied the applicable requirements and the individuals presented during its registration.
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT RECORDS REMAIN INACCESSIBLE
FIJ had previously reported that the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency took down its procurement portal after public scrutiny of its activities towards the end of 2023. As of the time of its report, the portal had not been restored.
The Lagos State Public Procurement Law provides for public access to procurement records.
Section 26(12) requires procuring entities to maintain physical and electronic records of procurement proceedings for 10 years from the date of contract award.
Section 26(14) further provides that all unclassified procurement records should be open to public inspection, subject to prescribed copying, certification and administrative charges.
The absence of the procurement portal limits the public’s ability to examine important details of the bidding process, including the tender documents, competing bidders, Vicross’s qualifications and the procedures followed by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure before awarding the contract.
Access to the relevant records would help establish whether the company met the requirements and whether the procurement process complied with the law.
The case also follows another FIJ investigation involving a Lagos lawmaker’s company.
In an earlier report, FIJ revealed that Tobic Limited, a company owned by Lagos State House of Assembly member Tobun Abiodun, secured a N114 million staff quarters renovation contract from ministries that reportedly fall under his direct or indirect supervision.
The two reports have brought renewed attention to the relationship between public officeholders, private business interests and the award of government contracts in Lagos State.
