Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has said that truth has emerged on its claim that Governor Ayodele Fayose had collected refund on federal roads executed by former Governor Kayode Fayemi.
The party said revelations by a former state Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Tope Aluko, on live programme on Adaba FM radio based in Akure last week Wednesday were testimonies to the claim.
Aluko claimed Fayose collected N5.7bn and diverted it for undisclosed reasons.
He added that the revelations by the Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Department of State Services on Ekiti finances jolted Fayose to quickly surrender the money, and diverted part of it to the over-head bridge he never planned for.
But the Special Assistant to Fayose on New Media and Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, had responded that the claim was frivolous, while challenging Aluko to supply proof that Fayose collected refund.
Olayinka said Aluko not being an official of the Federal Ministry of Works or Federal Ministry of Finance was not in a position to make any claim.
However, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement on Tuesday said the party had been vindicated in its claim that Fayose actually collected N22bn refunds for the road projects, part of which Aluko confirmed.
“The governor on three occasions during his media chat always denied ever collecting any money as refunds on the federal roads executed by his predecessor.
“It is great now that fact has emerged that the governor actually collected the money and kept it in a secret account unknown to government’s transactions,” he said.
Wondering why the governor always wanted to cheat Ekiti people, Olatunbosun asked, “Why did Fayose deny in the first place that he collected N22bn refund on roads out of which Aluko confirmed N5.7bn? Where was the money lodged since October 2014 when it was paid? How much interest has accrued and where is it? How much mobilisation was paid to the contractor handling the flyover?
“Why did Fayose shroud the refund in secrecy? How can you have this kind of money in a secret account for selfish purposes and you are owing workers five months salaries only to divert it to another dubious over-head bridge being handled by companies owned by the governor’s friends when the EFCC is about asking questions on the money?
“This is the same way Fayose did not disclose that a bank sponsored the construction of Funmi Olayinka House with N600m while another bank paid N400m for the construction of less than one km Ikere road dualisation which Fayose awarded as contract valued over N400m.”
Faulting Fayose for refusing to tell Ekiti people that N600m for the Olayinka House and N400m for the Ikere road were donations from banks, he accused the governor of treating Ekiti State Government as his personal business without any accountability to the people.
“The bailout, which he collected from the Federal Government for the purpose of paying workers salary, has been cornered by Fayose who kept the money in an undisclosed account in the past eight months while workers, pensioners and past political office holders have not been paid their entitlements.
“Governor Fayose is yet to account for the N10bn loan he recently obtained from the Federal Government which he put in Access Bank. The loan was released to the state shortly after he collected the bailout but both have been diverted.
“Despite collecting all these funds, the governor owes Ekiti workers and pensioners over five months salary arrears. This is unconscionable and heartless to put the people’s money away in a secret account for selfish reasons, only to splash the money on non-priority project when the fraud was about to be exposed,” he said.
“He is now using part of the refund on roads, N10bn loan and the bailout which he has diverted to construct the flyover while workers salaries are left unpaid, even as doctors in Ekiti State hospitals are currently on strike due to non-payment of salaries while many people are dying but Fayose is not bothered.”
Olatunbosun urged Ekiti people, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other security agencies to ask the governor to account for all the monies, including arbitrary rates and taxes, he had received from various sources but refused to disclose the accounts into which they were kept to Ekiti people.
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