A former Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the July 14, 2018 governorship election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has faulted the state Governor, Ayo Fayose, on what he termed the inaccurate figures being bandied around as the debt owed by their different Administrations.
Fayemi’s position was contained in a statement issued by the spokesman of his campaign organisation, Wole Olujobi.
The statement, titled: “Response to Fayose’s allegation on alleged Fayemi’s debts service,” reads in full: “It is ridiculous for Fayose and his aides to still be peddling inaccurate debts figures after the Debts Management Office published the debts taken by Fayose alone in the last three years totalling N56b even though he swore and lied many times that he never borrowed one kobo.
“Again, we admit that Fayemi borrowed N25b to be defrayed within seven years and records are there in the Debts Management Office that Fayemi paid back N14.5b of the debts, leaving the balance of N10.5b before he left office on October 16, 2014.
“All the projects that benefitted from the bond are verifiable. They are the roads constructed across the state, schools and hospital rehabilitation, world standard Ikogosi Resort that has again been looted, Ire Burnt Bricks Company, Igbemo Asphalt Plant, water projects, new Government House, Pavilion, Civi Centre that Fayose has abandoned, among several others.
“If the official debt figure were as stated above, how did they come about N35.34b to service the debt of N10.5b?
“It is regrettable that after Fayose misapplied the state’s funds to satisfy himself, he is now looking for a scapegoat in election period to fraudulently shift the blame on innocent Fayemi for undeserved political capital.
“All the debts that will not allow Ekiti people and workers in particular to have their daily bread and live decent life were secretly taken by Fayose but would deny publicly that he ever took these loans.
“He took N2b CBN loan for small scale businesses but he never disbursed one kobo to the targeted beneficiaries.
“He took N2b Ecological Fund cash but for several months, he swore repeatedly publicly that he never took the money. He only owned up taking the money when APC was about approaching Ecological Fund with the Freedom of Information law to get the fact of the matter. Curiously the very week he admitted taking the money, he announced Ecological project contract that cost exactly N2b, but up till now, there is no evidence of any ecological project anywhere in the state as could be seen in flood disasters that ravaged the state.
“Fayose was secretly collecting N1.3b Budget Support Fund to pay salary without telling workers that he was collecting the money on their behalf to pay salary. He diverted all to self-serving projects, leaving workers without salaries for between six and 10 months, including failure to pay pensioners.
“Now after all these atrocities, Fayose is now deploying his aides in reckless lies against Fayemi for electoral advantage.
“Fact is that Ekiti people know the truth that they have been in the hands of a crooked administration since October 16, 2014.
“Another chance to have a disciplined and honest leader is coming on July 14 and there is no lie and blackmail that can take Ekiti people hostage again because they have known the man who loves them and the one that lies recklessly to single-handedly corner the state’s resources while 2.7m Ekiti people suffer.”