•Probe me if you like

THE immediate past governor of Ekiti
State,Dr.Kayode Fayemi, yesterday hit back at his
successor, Governor Ayo Fayose ,warning him
against using falsehood as a tool of governance.
Fayemi who was responding for the first time to
allegations levelled at him by Fayose said that the
deployment of deceit as an official policy of
administration would not help the government in any
way.

He challenged the governor to probe him if he was
sure that he (Fayemi) plundered the state of its
resources . “If they have anything against me let
them institute a probe, I am ready for it,” he said.
He cited the allegation that he left an N85billion debt
behind as one of such lies. Fayemi said that all total
debt at the time of his exit was N35billion. He spoke
on Akure, Ondo State-based radio station, ADABA
88.9 FM, Friday evening.

Fayemi also dismissed Fayose’s claim that he
(Fayose) left N10. 4 billion in government coffers at
the time of his impeachment in October 2006.

He said that records showed that Fayose left only
N3.5 billion and a lot of contractor obligations
behind. For the first time, the Fayemi also revealed
that the actual cost of the new Government House
otherwise known as Ayoba Villa is N2.1 billion.

He said the cost of the complex is lower than any
other newly constructed state Government House in
the country and that the Fayose Administration
which has been critical of the execution of the project
is currently using marble in parts of the complex.

“It is not only fully completed but it is also fully
furnished. It is the cheapest Government House built
by any government in the 36 states of the federation
in recent times.

“That of Plateau State cost N10 billion and that of
Kaduna cost N9 billion but we built our own at the
cost of N2.1 billion and they are presently doing
marble work on the same Government House and
they are also doing the roads we have completed.

“If he (Fayose) says he refused to move there, why is
he lighting up the place by powering it with diesel? I
know the meetings he is holding there because it is a
four-in-one building.

“But for you to try and make excuses that is not
acceptable. If God helps you to be there even if you
cheat your way to be there, you need to thank God
for the favour He has shown you.

“These lies are unfounded, it is not expected from
somebody holding that exalted position. You are
sleeping there, your wife is sleeping there.

“Do we have N50 million worth of bed in this world? I
want people to ask him to produce the bed of N50
million. I don’t give contract by the words of the
mouth, I have papers and documents to back them
up and I don’t award contracts to my brothers and
family members.”

He also carpeted Fayose for claiming in his monthly
media chat earlier in the day that the new
Government House is yet to be completed
maintaining that “the edifice is not only completed
but is also fully furnished.”

He said claims that each of the beds he bought for
the complex cost N50million was false as no bed
anywhere in the world costs that kind of amount.
He warned Fayose to stop peddling lies and face the
serious business of governance instead of reducing
governance to comedy which, he noted, is portraying
Ekiti in bad light in the comity of states in Nigeria
and before the international community.

Fayemi also gave Fayose hard knocks for claiming
that all the brand new vehicles he (Fayemi) bought
for traditional rulers have not been paid for.

Fayemi insisted that the cars which were purchased
from Coscharis Motors have been paid for admitting
that it is only official cars purchased for senior civil
servants from the same company that are yet to be
paid for. The ex-governor noted that the wrong
information being fed the world by Fayose resulted
from deliberate mischief or lack of proper briefing by
concerned officials.

He admitted that his administration sourced N25
billion from the Capital Market to execute projects
that have generated jobs which are also yielding
revenue into the coffers of government.

These include Ekiti Parapo Square, Ikogosi Warm
Spring Resort, Ire Burnt Bricks, Ayoba Villa, College
of Technical Agriculture, among others are now worth
over N100 billion.

Contrary to Fayose’s claims that N1.5 billion is
deducted from Ekiti allocation every month, Fayemi
argued that N500 million is deducted from the state
allocation.
Fayemi stressed that for the whole four years he was
in office, the only month his administration failed to
pay workers’ salaries was September.
He added that secondary school teachers were also
owed August salaries which he attributed to
problems with their banks.


The former governor claimed that Fayose who had
since received the September allocation has refused
to pay the September salaries to workers describing
the action as “callous, ungodly and immoral”.

According to him, his administration had problems
paying the September salaries because Fayose
allegedly went to the banks and directed them to
stop giving the outgoing government loans which
were procured to pay salaries before allocation
arrived.