The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has challenged Governor Ayodele Fayose to explain to Ekiti people the reasons for his application for N9.6b loan as part of the special Federal Government facility for states facing salary payment burden.
It said since Fayose had always insisted that he did not owe workers’ salaries, there was no need to draw from a facility approved for only the states that were indebted to workers.
Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the governor’s explanation became pertinent against the background of persistent claims that he did not owe workers in the state civil service.
He added that the governor’s explanation also became pertinent on account of Ekiti people’s experience with the governor with alleged history of lack of accountability and transparency in the running of state affairs.
“It is difficult to trust a one-man government where the House of Assembly doesn’t have any voice and the State Executive Council is not functioning while both the State Accountant General and Auditor-General sign documents without questions on what they are asked to do by the governor,” Olatunbosun explained.
“Besides, why will a governor who does not owe salaries and has not shown Ekiti people his development blue print be taking loan? Why does he need N9.6b after he has declared he was not owing Ekiti workers, more so that the loan is meant for defaulting states to clear their backlog of salaries?” he queried.
Stressing that the governor was yet to explain how he spent the N2.1b bailout he received from the Federation account in June over which he abused the President to no end, the APC spokesman said the governor had not explained what he did with N8. 5b received also in June, which included the regular statutory allocation.
Expressing worry over aberrations in the running of government where other moderating units of government had no voice, Olatunbosun regretted that the House of Assembly had gone dumb over inability to ask the governor to explain why he was still owing September 2014 salary arrears after collecting allocation for same.
“What has he done with July Federation Account allocation which was shared in August?
“He is yet to explain how he spent the N22b he received as refunds on Federal roads, N2 billion ecological fund, N2 billion micro-credit loan, which he is about to misappropriate, and regular allocations he had received in the last ten months despite the moratorium he enjoyed over debts he claimed Fayemi owed?
“Why did he lie to Ekiti people about the debt portfolio of the state by always quoting N86 billion while in actual fact the state’s debt is 18.8billion and what does he want to achieve with this bare-faced lie if not for sinister motives to short-change Ekiti people?” he queried.
Wondering why Fayose allegedly made deceits and lies as state policy in his governance style, he also tasked the governor to explain what he did with the money saved from the cancellation of life-lifting programmes introduced by Fayemi, such as the social security for the elderly, youth volunteers, road traffic management, youths in commercial agricultural development (YCAD), Peace Corps and Oodua Skills Acquisition Scheme, among others.
Dismissing Fayose’s government as a waste and a drain-pipe in the administration of the state, Olatunbosun noted that 10 months after inauguration, the governor could not point to any development project that he had commissioned while his sing-song had always been over-exaggerated debts to abdicate his responsibilities to Ekiti people.
Also slamming the governor for owing arrears of pensions and traditional rulers salaries for five months, including subventions to higher institutions, leave bonus to teachers and civil servants after collecting up-to-date federal allocations, heavy savings from job cuts and cancellations of poverty reduction schemes, he urged the EFCC to beam its searchlight on the activities of the governor “who has remained unaccountable to Ekiti people in his financial dealings after collecting heavy allocations from the Federal Government”.
