Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
A former Governor of Ekiti State, and flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the July 14 governorship poll, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Governor Ayodeke Fayose have traded words over who mismanaged resources of the state which they each held in trust for the people.
While the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Barr. Gboyega Oguntuase asked Fayemi to explain how he spent statutory allocations and other funds that accrued to his government between 2010 and 2014, Fayemi, who reeled out many laudable projects he carried out while in office, referred Fayose and others to the hand over notes he dropped which he said contained details of his achievements in office.
Fayemi also challenged Governor Fayose to meet him in a public debate for each of them to explain how they manage resources they held in trust for Ekiti.
Oguntuase said documents from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the National Bureau of Statistics among others show that Fayemi collected a total of N165 billion as allocations, excluding regular funds from Excess Crude Oil Account, grants, internally-generated revenues among others, but Fayemi still took N25 billion bond and N35 billion commercial loans with nothing to show for the funds.
In a statement by Oguntuase in Ado-Ekiti, on Sunday, he also said the Ayodele Fayose administration had done creditably well despite the lean resources at its disposal.
Oguntuase said, “In 2011, Fayemi got N40.5 billion as monthly statutory allocations. In 2012, he got N39.8 billion. In 2013, he got N44.3 billion and in 2014, he got N40.1 billion. Whereas, the Fayose administration got N28.2 billion in 2015, N18.8 billion in 2016 and N25.6 billion in 2017.
” Apart from the above monthly allocations, Fayemi still got regular funds from the Excess Crude Oil Account, IGR among others. Despite what Fayemi got, he still borrowed N25 billion from the Capital Market and took N31 billion commercial loans. The question is, what did he do with the money? Nothing.
“The N25 billion bond and commercial loans, through which he mortgaged the finances of our dear state for 20 years, were spent on nothing. He proposed an event centre, it was never completed.
“He said he would build a new Governor’s Office, he only scraped a parcel of land near the House of Assembly Complex and did nothing.
“His new Ojaba Market, for which he erected a billboard at the entrance of the palace of Ewi, never saw the light of the day.
“His flyover only existed in his tommy. He half-completed a state pavilion and squandered the state’s resources on frivolities. If he stopped at that it would have been better, but he went ahead to divert state funds .
“An example is the N850 million given the state by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja which he diverted leading to the suspension of Ekiti State from the commission’s funding for years,” he said.
Oguntuase said in contrast to Fayemi’s waste of resources, the Fayose administration, in which Olusola is the deputy governor, had been prudent.
“The table of funds received by Fayemi and Fayose given above are public documents available in the offices of the NBS, OAGF and even on their websites. People can go there and access. Moreover, people can see what the Fayose administration has done with the meagre resources at its disposal.
” A new Governor’s Office, new High Court Complex, Adunni Olayinka Women Development Centre, a flyover have been built.
“A new Ojaba Market is almost completed. Roads in Emure, Ise, Efon, Ijero, Omuo, Afao, Ilawe, Ikere, Ikole etc have been dualised. Car Wash- Afao Road built, same for Dehead- Police Headquarters Road among others.
“The teachers Fayemi planned to sack through a vindictive test, have been motivated and our state now ranks first in public examinations in the federation.
“This is the good trend that Prof Kolapo Olusola will continue with when elected governor. Fayemi and the APC have nothing good to offer the people of the state,” he added.
Reacting, Fayemi said, “The handover notes contained both financial and administrative details of what we did in four years.
“I urge the PDP and others who wish to find out to visit every single community in Ekiti State he would find what I did with Ekiti money.
“There is no community in Ekiti today that you can visit even the hamlets towns across that you would not find the footprints of Fayemi, in every community you would find schools and hospitals and community roads and markets that we built, you would find civic centres that we built. They are in all villages and towns in Ekiti.
“No fewer than a hundred people benefited from the social security scheme that we provided. There are communities that received on the average N10 million for social security scheme on regular basis .
“You will find those that we employed into the youths Volunteer, Peace corps, the teaching profession and many other
“When Governor Fayose left Ekiti as governor in 2006, the minimum wage in Ekiti was at it was under former Adebayo, N5,500, not a single Naira was added to the salaries of workers.
“It was only Tunji Odeyemi when he was governor that increased the salaries. The only time that workers salaries were increased three times was in my administration.
He should go and visit all the hospitals , secondary schools in Ekiti. The tragedy for our people is that all we did have remained how they were before we left. No improvement.
“I challenge Fayose to meet me in a debate and let us discuss what we did with the resources that we held in trust for Ekiti, that way we will know who is a better manager of Ekiti resources or who is a prodigal son,” Fayemi said.