The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of not telling the truth about the financial status of the state that has been his excuse for not paying workers salary.
The party said Fayose’s message to the civil servants that they should not expect salary in January was a mark of his uncaring attitude to workers, stressing that the current allocation to Ekiti State is enough to pay workers’ salary since the governor had refused to embark on any infrastructure development programme.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said October statutory federal allocation to the state and local governments totaling N3.635,936,192.00 was more than enough to address workers’ pay.
Olatunbosun said: “October allocation to the state government is N1,967,380,219.98 while allocation to the 16 local governments is N1,668,555,972.02 totaling N3,635,936,192.00. This is aside from the 9 billion bailout which is meant to clear arrears of salaries but which he has diverted and yet to account for.
“If Fayose claims he spends N2.6b for workers’ salary, which is inflated anyway, what does he do with the balance, particularly as he doesn’t have any infrastructure development spending?”
The APC spokesman also wondered how a governor that sacked thousands of workers, cut running grants to civil servants, refused to fund security agencies despite collecting monthly personal security vote of N250 million, refused to pay pensioners and stop monthly social security stipends to the elderly would still come before the workers that he did not have money to pay salary.
He said: “Besides all these is failure to implement any of his election campaign promises.
“During campaign, the governor promised to reduce fees at the state university. After initial cut in fees, he has now asked the university authorities to go back to the old regime and at present, students are paying more than they did when Dr Kayode Fayemi was the governor.
“Fayose’s failure to comply with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) guidelines, including paying counterpart fund, was responsible for banning the state from accessing Federal intervention fund to run primary schools while he has also refused to pay counterpart fund in the running of the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the result of which has forced pupils to be paying fees in primary schools.”
Olatunbosun added that the governor has also refused to pay counterpart fund in the World Bank-Assisted Ekiti State Community And Social Development Agency, saying that at present, all development initiatives of the agency were at standstill while its workers were being owed several months in salary arrears.
He said: “Fayose has also ordered another World Bank project called ‘Youth Employment and Social Support Operation shut down because the project refused his list of beneficiaries he wanted to force on the agency.
“Even though his list could still be accommodated within the rules of the project, because he was not ready to follow the rules, the governor has asked the World Bank to go away with its money while he repainted the World Bank’s vehicles and gave them to his commissioners.
“He has also threatened to close down EKCSDA project if the agency refuses to accept his selected priority projects, arguing that he is not in Ekiti to be dictated to by any World Bank’s rules and procedures.”
Olatunbosun also accused Fayose of recalcitrance and running the state like his personal property, arguing that the governor was in the habit of not showing interest in what would not personally benefit him.
He added: “His recalcitrant conduct has led to his absence in the National Economic Council (NEC) meetings in Abuja and all other Federal Government programmes where his counterparts in other states participate for the benefit of their people.
“For instance, Fayose’s absence at a recent function by the United Nations Secretary General, Bank Ki Moon, in Abuja denied the share of the state in the $500m the world body gave to assist states in Nigeria.”
He urged the governor to show transparency in his policy, saying he had no excuse to owe workers salaries while spending millions of naira of Ekiti money on advertorials to abuse President Muhammadu Buhari on trivial issues.
Trending
- Students caught bullying mates on camera in Abuja school + Videos, photos
- Student caught bullying mate on camera in Abuja school + Video, photos
- Alake commends Nasarawa for securing mining sites
- TCN towers vandalised along Jos-Gombe 330KV transmission line
- Atiku visits suspended Sen. Ningi, says National Assembly, others must be strengthened
- Jonathan backs state police, says commercial kidnapping’ started in 2006 in Niger Delta
- Babcock University provides details on Law Professor shot dead at relaxation centre
- Chamber speaks on report Nigerians denied access to Chinese supermarket