Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 election in Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, has explained how the misuse of counterpart funds by the administration of Kayode Fayemi in 2014 denied the state access to funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja for three years.
Olusola, who spoke in an interview with select journalists in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, said the development robbed the state of funds that would have been used to improve facilities in primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
Olusola said the money involved was N850 million and the state was denied funds by UBEC from 2015 to 2017.
Olusola, who is the current deputy governor of the state and the one supervising the education sector, said that what the Fayemi administration did then amounted to sabotaging the state and her people.
“After UBEC paid their N850 million counterpart funds, the state government also paid N850 million to an account in Access Bank, but later withdrew its N850 million and spent it on something else. What they further did was to only spend UBEC’s N850 million which was a contravention of laid down procedures. The commission had to suspend the state for three years until the Fayose administration had to repay the money and we were reinstated. We have three years funds not accessed now.
“But with our Continuity Agenda, we are cleaning the mess left behind by Fayemi and the All Progressives Congress. Apart from sustaining the gains made in the sector, when I become the governor by the grace of God, we will further made some innovations like deploying ICT tools in teaching and learning at public primary and secondary schools, ” he said.
Olusola also promised to focus on technical education that would produce entrepreneurs.
On the claim that some politicians were fond of distancing themselves from the people once elected into office, the PDP candidate said Ekiti culture abhorred arrogance in any form.
“Academic arrogance depends on individuals and we believe in the Omoluabi philosophy in our state. It is not difficult for me to interact with people. Men of good character must not be proud. If your people don’t have access to you, you are a failure. Arrogance is not part of Ekiti culture We were not taught that way,” he stated.
He promised that renewable energy would be deployed in making industrial hubs to be set up in the three senatorial zones workable.
On the development of agriculture, he said the state had already signed a partnership agreement with Lagos State to cultivate 10,000 hectares of rice in the state.
Olusola added that five hectares of cocoa nursery were being cultivated to give free cocoa seedlings to farmers.

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