Fayose renews battle with Fayemi over Government House contract sum

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has faulted former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s claim that the new Government House constructed by him (Fayemi) cost N2.1 billion.
Fayose told Fayemi to desist from lying to the public on the actual cost of the Government House.
He said the total contract sum of the house cited on Oke Ayoba was N3,389,722,104.59.
The former governor had during an interview he granted a private radio in Akure, Ondo State, Adaba FM, denied the claim by Fayose that the new Government House he constructed while in office cost the state over N3 billion.
Fayemi said Fayose was feeding the public lies.
However, Fayose in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Fayemi was economical with the truth.
The statement said: “The total contract sum for the Oke Ayoba Government House was N3,389,722,104.59 (N3.38bn) and not N2.1bn as claimed by Fayemi.”
Fayose said it was strange that Fayemi could tell the public that the Government House cost N2.1 billion when he authorised the award of additional contracts for the construction on October 10, 2014.
According to Fayose, the contract was initially awarded to Kouris Construction Nigeria Limited on July 27, 2012 for N2.05 billion, while additional contract of N730,186,636.87 was awarded on October 10, 2014, six days before the expiration of Fayemi’s administration.
The statement by Olayinka added: “Apart from the additional contract of N730m, another contract worth N604,961,645.72 for the furnishing of the Government House was awarded to Kitwood Nigeria Limited on June 18, 2014, three days to the governorship election that he (Fayemi) lost scandalously.
“If Fayemi and his men lack knowledge of simple arithmetic, we will help by telling them that addition of N2,054,573,822.00, N730,186,636.87 and N604,961,645.72 will be N3,389,722,104.59 (N3.38bn).
“Now we ask, is Fayemi saying that as the governor then, he lost control such that he was not aware that the two additional contracts were awarded on June 18 and October 10, 2014?
“If Fayemi did not authorise the two contracts, shouldn’t he simply ask his Chief of Staff, Yemi Adaramodu, in whose office the contractors signed the contract agreements, instead of going about advertising his ignorance?”
Fayose said if Fayemi could lie on issue as glaring as the construction of the Oke Ayoba Government House, it could be concluded that the former governor lied to Ekiti State people for four years and is still lying to them after he was voted out of office.
Fayose maintained that his government will not be distracted by Fayemi’s new antics of campaigning more than six months after losing election in the entire 16 local councils in the state, adding: “In saner climes, Fayemi won’t have the effrontery to defend his use of borrowed fund to build government house, pavilion and civic centre, when a life-touching projects like the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital was left uncompleted.”