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Tag: Fayemi

  • JKF Centre slams Fayose over ban on Fayemi

    JKF Centre slams Fayose over ban on Fayemi

    The JKF Centre, a leadership development and training centre based in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has berated Governor Ayodele Fayose for “illegally” imposing a 10-year ban on former Governor Kayode Fayemi and former Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Kolawole, from holding public offices.

    In a statement yesterday by its Director, Biodun Omoleye, the centre took a swipe at the governor for “vindictiveness, recklessness, lawlessness and indiscretion in putting the nation’s law into disrepute over desperate bid to undo a political opponent”.

    The statement described the action as a reckless conduct of a man who ought to be in jail for alleged past criminal conducts, including alleged poultry project fraud and a plethora of sharp practices in the conduct of government business.

    It reads: “Fayose is the most unconscionable politician of this century because this is a man who has been unfair to Ekiti people through sharp practices and uncaring attitude for the well-being of the people.

    “Because of several cases of fraud and illegal conducts by the governor, including practices that do not favour local and foreign businesses, no business is willing to invest in Ekiti State while several businesses have closed shops because of the governor’s illegal conducts in forcing money out from these organisations, forcing job losses among Ekiti people working in those locked-down organisations.

    “He cancelled all Fayemi’s empowerment and social security schemes that lifted our people out of poverty, all done in the most transparent manner by the former governor, only for Fayose to impose a regime of hunger through heartless cancellation of people-oriented programmes, denial of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ benefits and he is now topping it with a clearly illegal ban because of the fear that Fayemi will ask him to account for his actions in government that have put Ekiti people in peril.”

    The JKF Centre added: “It is unfortunate that we have a character like Fayose as the governor of Ekiti State, someone who relishes in lawless and cloudy conduct in running government business but is now running from pillar to post to paint black a man who ran Ekiti State affairs transparently and posted unparalleled results in lifting Ekiti people out of poverty.

    “We want to assure Ekiti people that Fayose is nothing but a lawless joker who has embarked on fruitless exercise that cannot bar Fayemi or any other person from contesting elections.

    “Even though we all knew all acts of illegality that followed the setting up of his kangaroo panel and the pitiable condition under which his White Paper panel worked, the truth is that all these exercises are fruitless vindictiveness because the law of the nation will prevail in this matter and not Fayose’s belligerent conducts that have put Ekiti State in the black pages of Nigerians’ notebooks.

    “We urge our people to disregard Fayose’s illegal conduct in this purported and shameful ban stunt that cannot stand the test of judicial adjudication.

    “Nigeria is a constitutional democracy where only the courts can bar Nigerians from contesting elections, as explained by the Supreme Court in Atiku Abubakar versus the Federal Government case. We all know that Fayose’s discredited panel and White Paper cannot overrule Nigeria’s Supreme Court in this matter.”

     

  • Only court can bar Fayemi from politics, Ekiti APC tells Fayose

    Only court can bar Fayemi from politics, Ekiti APC tells Fayose

    The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the state government’s White Paper, which indicted former Governor Kayode Fayemi is “a demonstration of executive recklessness by Governor Ayo Fayose”.

    The Fayose administration, on Monday, released the report of a commission of enquiry it set up to probe the Fayemi administration and barred the former governor as well as some of his aides from participating in politics for 10 years.

    APC said neither Fayose nor his government has any power to bar Fayemi or any other individual from holding public office.

    Fayose set up the panel to probe how Fayemi allegedly embezzled N852 million State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) loan said to have been obtained from Access Bank Plc.

    Fayemi filed a suit against the composition of the panel, citing partisanship of its members for allegedly being PDP members and civil servants who served under Fayose’s authority.

    The former governor said he would not get justice from the panel, adding that it was set up to do Fayose’s bidding.

    Access Bank appeared before the panel, saying Fayemi never stole any money.

    The bank said it returned the loan to its vault when the state government failed to firm up the agreement on repayment.

    Yet, the panel turned in its verdict, holding Fayemi culpable.

    Fayose raised another panel to issue a White Paper, which banned Fayemi and his Commissioner of Finance, Dapo Kolawole, from holding public offices for 10 years.

    In a reaction by its State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party described the panel and the White Paper as a kangaroo stunt to nail Fayemi.

    APC said the verdict would not stand because of what it called the illegality that went into the exercise.

    The party argued that the Supreme Court had settled it in law that only courts of law can stop any aspirant/candidate from running for any political office and not any administrative or judicial panel of enquiry.

    It said: “All Nigerians know that Fayose is recklessly lawless and cannot survive in societies where the law works. His so-called White Paper is not only laughable but also a disgrace to all Ekiti people – home and abroad – with the way Fayose has taken ignorance, vendetta and debauchery to a ridiculous level. We knew all along that this is what Fayose wanted to do.

    “We had expected his Attorney General, if he knows his onions, to have advised him that only a competent court of law can bar Nigerians from holding public office under the Nigerian Constitution.

    “A situation where Fayose assembled PDP members and pliable civil servants as a panel with a strict directive to indict Fayemi at all costs and thereafter issued a White Paper banning him from holding public office, cannot hold water in a society where the law works.

    “With the way he is conducting himself desperately to stop Fayemi from holding public office, we are convinced that Fayose is seriously going through a political haemorrhage and, therefore, his resorting to political desperation and unconstitutional means to nail our leader and a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by any means possible.

    “Neither Fayose nor the Ekiti State government has the power to bar or prevent Dr Fayemi or any other citizen from holding public office but a competent court of law. Such wishful thinking cannot stand judicial scrutiny. We advise Fayose and his pitiable undertakers to read the Supreme Court judgment and Atiku Abubakar in a similar matter.”

    APC noted that by his “so-called White Paper that cannot over-rule the Supreme Court judgment as a precedent, Fayose has demonstrated recklessness, lawlessness and display of executive rascality arising from his ignorance of the law, constitution and total disregard for the rule of law”.

    It added: “It is now glaring that despite Fayose’s empty boasts daily that Dr. Fayemi is a paperweight politician who is not popular at home, the governor’s latest action has proved that the reverse is the case. This barbaric action to halt the political career of a shining Ekiti star has shown that Fayemi is in league of nightmare Fayose has to contend with.

    “It is an irony that Fayose, who is supposed to be banned from holding public office because of the plethora of criminal and financial misappropriation cases hanging on his neck, is the one unilaterally banning somebody, who held public office as governor without any blemish and is currently holding that of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and has performed excellently well, as shown by the ‘Award of Public Excellence’ trophy bestowed on him by credible corporate organisations.

    “We expect someone occupying such an exalted position of a governor, like Fayose, to be properly briefed and educated on the limitations of his powers as the head of the executive arm of government, primarily to formulate policy and implement laws, rather than interpret the law and, worst still, assume the position of a judge in a matter involving him as a party.

    “We are not going to lose any sleep over a biased political report by a panel of PDP members set up by a PDP governor for the purpose of framing up our leader as a way of settling political scores.

    “This is executive recklessness and political rascality taken too far by Fayose and his kangaroo panel. We wonder where he got the power to bar a leading member of the opposition in a democracy.

    “We wish to assure our party members and the good people of Ekiti State that the so-called White Paper recommendation by Fayose’s kangaroo panel is not worth more than the paper on which it is written; this shall be challenged in a court of law. We are confident that this shall be quashed because there is no legal precedent or basis for it in the history of our country.

    “We also plead with Nigerians to bear with Ekiti people in this moment of our governor’s lawlessness, which has negative implication for the integrity of Ekiti people in choosing their leader.

    “We also wish to remind Fayose that his immunity will expire in October and must be prepared to resume trials on his many criminal cases, including those pending in various courts.”

    Also, Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said Fayose’s ban of his predecessor from holding public office cannot stand any legal test.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos, he said: “In the case of Atiku Abubakar v Attorney-General of the Federation, the Supreme Court held that only a court of law has the power to disqualify and ban a Nigerian citizen from holding public office in Nigeria. So, the apex court set aside his disqualification from holding public office via a White Paper, which was endorsed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    “A similar ban placed on Malam Nasiru El-Rufai by the House of Representatives was also quashed by the court. To that extent, the decision of the Ekiti State government to ban Dr. Kayode Fayemi from politics cannot stand the test of constitutional validity. If Dr. Fayemi challenges the ban in court, he is likely to have it quashed and set aside.

    “However, as a serving minister in an administration that is fighting corruption, Dr. Fayemi has a duty to respond to his indictment by the judicial commission of enquiry, which probed the finances of Ekiti State under his watch. Alternatively, he may pray the court to annul the report. But he cannot afford to ignore the findings of the panel.

    “Since Dr. Fayemi chose not to appear before the judicial panel, he has to explain his own side of the story to Ekiti people. This is in line with the principle of public accountability enshrined in the Freedom of Information Law and Fiscal Responsibility Law enacted by the Fayemi administration.”

  • Fayemi kicks as Fayose bars him from public office

    Fayemi kicks as Fayose bars him from public office

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has banned his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, from joining the 2018 governorship race, as speculated in many quarters.

    The Fayose administration, yesterday, accepted the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry to bar Fayemi from holding public offices in Ekiti State and other parts of Nigeria for 10 years.

    The panel, which was chaired by former Acting Chief Judge, Justice Silas Oyewole (retd.), submitted its report on December 13, last year, to Fayose and recommended that Fayemi must refund over N2 billion and return 17 vehicles.

    Also recommended for 10-year ban from public office is the former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Dapo Kolawole, who served under Fayemi.

    The recommendation followed the receipt of a White Paper on the report of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry which investigated the handling of the state’s finances during the Fayemi administration between October 2010 and October 2014.

    The White Paper also recommended that the duo should refund various sums of money to the coffers of the state government.

    The State Executive Council (Exco) accepted the recommendations and adopted the White Paper at an emergency meeting yesterday.

    Fayemi is the Minister of Mines and Steel Development while Kolawole is a board member of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

    The ex-governor refused to appear before the panel on account of a lawsuit he filed to the effect that he would not get justice at the panel.

    He claimed that members of the panel are loyalists, associates and card-carrying members of Fayose’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Although Fayemi is yet to declare intent to run for the July 14 governorship election, his foot soldiers are working to draft him into the race.

    His posters with inscription “Happy New Year, JKF Again” appeared in Ado-Ekiti and other major towns last week.

    The recommendation banning Fayemi and Kolawole appears on page 22 of the White Paper.

    It reads: “Government accepts the recommendation to bar Dr. John Kayode Fayemi and the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Vincent Kolawole, from holding public offices in Ekiti State for 10 years.”

    On Page 15 of the White Paper, Fayemi and Kolawole were declared “unfit to hold any public office” for their refusal to appear before the seven-man jury to give evidence on how they managed the state treasury when they were in office.

    It reads: “Both His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Vincent Kolawole, are recommended as unfit to hold any public office in the state for their refusal to appear before this Commission of Enquiry, even, after the determination of the case challenging the inauguration of this commission before the Ekiti State High Court.

    “Their disrespect to the constituted authority and the undignified roles they played in the whole contract saga, were obviously against the interest of the state.”

    The White Paper recommended that Fayemi, Kolawole and other members of the erstwhile Exco should account for N2,750,000,000 allegedly allocated for the execution of the contract for the ultramodern market “which was never executed”.

    ‘Governor’s kangaroo panel’s recommendations laughable’

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the White Paper the state government released yesterday on his alleged probe is a joke taken too far.

    A statement by his Senior Special Assistant (Media),  Olayinka Oyebode, reads: “The attention of the Media Office of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has been drawn to the pre-meditated verdict of the Ekiti State government, as contained in the White Paper submitted by the panel set up by Governor Ayo Fayose to investigate the finances of the state between 2010 and 2014.

    “While we believe it is part of the responsibilities of the state administration to look into the finances of the state at any point in time, we are also of the belief  that such must be done in a very responsible manner devoid of prejudice, witch hunting and a calculated attempt to victimise a citizen.

    “In this particular case, the entire process is discredited right from the beginning, as the only agenda of the panel was to rubbish Dr Kayode Fayemi’s public service record.

    “One is therefore not surprised at the recommendations of the White Paper: It only goes to confirm our initial position that the panel was compromised right from inception and targeted against Dr Fayemi.

    “In his desperation, Governor Fayose chose the crude and ignoble path towards hitting a perceived political foe.

    “In the process, they ignored the rule of law and behaved as if the court does not matter; thus making their actions subjudice to the court.

    “Fayose was, however, misguided into believing that he could pass a death sentence on Dr Fayemi’s public service with the White Paper. This is not only laughable but also ridiculous, as neither Governor Fayose nor his paid agents have the power to bar anyone from political participation.

    “The entire process and the character personae involved are discredited and since it is impossible to build something on nothing, legally speaking, their recommendation is not only null and void, it is ultra vires.

    “We urge the teeming supporters of Dr Fayemi, the good people of Ekiti State and the general public not to be disturbed by the development. It is simply another act of illegality, from an administration that has elevated political debauchery to state craft.

    “It shall not stand. It is nothing but a joke taken too far, perhaps joke of the century.”

     

  • My ban a joke of the century – Fayemi

    My ban a joke of the century – Fayemi

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has described the recommendation of the Ekiti State Judicial Commission of Inquiry banning him from holding public office for 10 years “as a joke taken too far.”

    He told his supporters not to be disturbed by the recommendation which was contained in a White Paper adopted by the state executive council at Monday’s emergency meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Fayemi, who maintained that the state governor, Ayo Fayose and his agents lack the constitutional power to ban anybody from political participation, described the process as “discredited from the beginning.”

    In a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, the former governor said the probe was not carried out in the interest of Ekiti people but to rubbish his public service record.

    Fayemi said although he believes it is part of the state government’s responsibilities to look into the finances at any point in time, “such action must be done in a very responsible manner devoid of prejudice, witch-hunt and a calculated attempt to victimize a citizen.”

    The statement reads: “In this particular case, the entire process is discredited right from the beginning, as the only agenda of the panel was to rubbish Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s public service record.

    “One is therefore not surprised at the recommendations of the White Paper: It only goes to confirm our initial position that the panel was compromised right from inception and targeted against Dr. Fayemi.

    “In his desperation, Governor Fayose chose the crude and ignoble path towards hitting a perceived political foe.

    “In the process, they ignored the rule of law and behaved as if the court does not matter. Thus, making their actions subjudice to the court.

    “Fayose was however misguided into believing that he could pass a death sentence on Dr. Fayemi’s public service with the white paper.

    “This is not only laughable, but ridiculous, as neither Governor Fayose nor his paid agents has the power to bar anyone from political participation.

    “The entire process and the character personae involved are discredited and since it is impossible to build something on nothing, legally speaking, their recommendation is not only null and void, it is ultra vires.

    “We urge the teeming supporters of Dr. Fayemi, the good people of Ekiti State and the general public not to be disturbed by the development.

    “It is simply another act of illegality, from an administration that has elevated political debauchery to statecraft.

    “It shall not stand.  It is nothing but a joke taken too far, perhaps joke of the century.”

  • Federal Boards: Fayemi not to blame for non-appointment of Ekiti Muslims, says group

    Federal Boards: Fayemi not to blame for non-appointment of Ekiti Muslims, says group

    An interest group, John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Movement, has absolved  Mines and Steel Development Minister  Kayode Fayemi, of blame in  the non-appoinment of Muslims from Ekiti State into the boards of federal agencies and parastatals.

    The group faulted the claim by  the President of the statechapter of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA),Alhaji Yakubu Sanni, who blamed Fayemi for the non-inclusion of Muslims among the 19 appointees from Ekiti State.

    In a statement yesterday,  State Secretaryof the JKF Movement, Sulaiman Nasir,  said Fayemi could not have been responsible for the non-inclusion of Muslims on federal board appointments because “he has a track record of being Islam-friendly when he was governor.”

    Sanni had complained of deliberate marginalisation of Ekiti Muslims in appointment  into the boards of federal agencies and parastatals.

    However,the JKF Movement said the minister was doing everything possible to address the complaints of Muslims which it described as “genuine and legitimate.”

    The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the latest communique of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (Ekiti State) signed by its President, Alhaji Yakubu Sanni and Secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Adejumo respectively.

    “We wish to state clearly that the communique is a deliberate attack on the person of the Honourable Minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, by Alhaji Yakubu Sanni, who with all intent and purpose is biased because of his partisanship and preference for a particular aspirant.

    “We want to point out that Alhaji Sanni came to the meeting with inciting documents and had already written the communique, which is an incitement against Dr. Fayemi blaming him for non-inclusion of Muslims into federal boards and that the minister thanked the President for this through a paid advert.

    “We wish to state clearly that

  • Rep urges Fayemi to join Ekiti race

    Rep urges Fayemi to join Ekiti race

    A member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State, Friday Olemija, has urged the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to join Ekiti State governorship race.

    Olemija noted that Fayemi set the standard of good governance between 2010 and 2014.

    The lawmaker said the standard had not been matched by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.

    The lawmaker representing Akoko Northeast/Akoko Northwest of Ondo State noted that “the bad governance going on in Ekiti” must end with the enthronement of an All Progressives Congress (APC) government, after the July 14 governorship election.

    Olemija spoke at the weekend when he visited members of John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Movement, led by their Coordinator, Pastor Ade Kolade, in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.

    The minister is yet to declare his intent.

    The lawmaker hailed Fayemi for attracting some federal projects to Ekiti State, including bauxite and kaolin exploration, the Federal secretariat, Federal Low Cost Housing and extension of rail lines to the state.

    The former Akoko Northeast council chairman said Ekiti State benefited more from the APC-led Federal Government, “despite the endless verbal attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari by Governor Ayo Fayose”.

  • Explain what you did with N30billion, Ekiti group tells Fayemi

    Explain what you did with N30billion, Ekiti group tells Fayemi

    The Ekiti Citizenship and Governance Centre (ECGC) has called on former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, to stop grandstanding and address the very serious question of mismanaging the 25 billion naira bond and the 5 billon naira loan he took while at the helms of affairs in the state.

    Fayemi and the incumbent government of Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have locked horns over allegation of mismanagement of the 25 billion naira bond which is claimed to have plunged the state into heavy financial mess.

    In a statement released in Ado by its Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Ogundele, the group said Fayemi cannot continue to wish away those allegations without making substantive responses.

    “We read the recent interview granted by Fayemi in The Nation and his response to the question of mismanaging 25 billion naira bond and the 5 billion naira loan he took at the very wee hours of his government leaves much room for suspicions.

    “This is so much so that for over a year Fayemi’s response to those serious issues has been dismissive and bereft of concrete information. As critical stakeholders in the Ekiti project, we must say that Fayemi cannot continue to take Ekiti people for granted.

    “We demand information, we need clarity. If Fayemi has nothing to hide, he should come out and explain what he did with the funds he collected to mortgage Ekiti future. There is nothing to cheer for someone who inflicted 30 billion naira debt under a booming economy without nothing substantial to show for it,” Ogundele said.

    The group lamented that most of the projects for which the bond and loan were collected were either non-existent or abandoned.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ekiti benefiting more from APC than PDP, says Fayemi

    Ekiti benefiting more from APC than PDP, says Fayemi

    MINISTER of Mines and Steel Development Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said Ekiti State has benefited more from the Fedral Government under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in less than three years than it did in 16 years under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Fayemi scored the APC government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, high in its three cardinal policies of reviving the economy, providing security and fighting corruption.

    The former Ekiti State governor urged Nigerians to be wary of PDP’s antics to return to power, saying the damage the party did to the economy was monumental, hence it should not be allowed to return to power.

    He said the PDP was plotting a return to power to continue what he alled its orgy of looting, which brought the economy to its knees.

    Fayemi addressed reporters yesterday at his Eyi Yato Villa in Isan-Ekiti before hosting thousands of APC members to an end-of-the-year stakeholders’ meeting.

    The meeting was attended by party leaders, including former Governor Segun Oni, state APC Chairman Olajide Awe, party excos from the 177 wards, 16 local government areas, 35 local council development areas (LCDAs) and the three senatorial districts.

    The minister pooh-poohed claims by Governor Ayo Fayose that he (Fayemi) has not used his position as minister to help his home state.

    Fayemi noted that Ekiti enjoys concrete federal presence through execution of key capital projects, including federal secretariat and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) complex.

    The former governor said thousands of Ekiti residents had benefited from empowerment programmes and loan schemes of the Federal Government, which increased their standards of living.

    He added that kaolin exploration had just been completed, paving the way for the next phase of production; bauxite exploration at Orin-Ekiti has begun.

    Small scale miners at Ijero-Ekiti have been formed into cooperative societies to enable them benefit from a N5 billion loan domicilled at the Bank of Industry (BoI), the minister said.

    Fayemi said: “In the last 16 years, Ekiti State has been trying desperately to have a major federal presence where all the federal institutions will operate therefrom. This is known all over as the Federal secretariat in that state.

    “I went on inspection yesterday to check how far work has gone on the Federal secretariat. I am pleased with the progress being made.

    “That project was initiated and awarded under this (Buhari) administration. I knew how it was awarded; I don’t want to claim credit for anything, but I knew what I had to do to ensure that the minister (in charge) not only awarded it but awarded it to an Ekiti son.

    “So, the company, which is building that structure, is an Ekiti company and Ekiti indigenes are the ones working there. That is one.

    “Number two: (Transportation Minister) Rotimi Amaechi has never stopped telling people why he had to extend the rail to Ekiti State, which was not the case before. He was of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); they were in government for 16 years. Ekiti State was not factored into the plan done by the Goodluck Jonathan administration or the Olusegun Obasanjo administration before it.

    “The only time Ekiti State found its way into the federal road project is under this administration. It’s because I went to meet the President and he insisted that the rail should not pass us by.

    “You have heard of N-Power. Over 4,000 Ekiti indigenes are beneficiaries of N-Power as we speak. If we wait for another two months, over 12,000 Ekiti citizens will be beneficiaries of N-Power.”

    Warning Nigerians against PDP’s return, Fayemi said: “We either return to the old ways of the criminalisation of the Nigerian state and the brigandage that comes with that. That is what PDP represents, and nothing absolutely convinces me that PDP has changed.

    “Not a single apology anywhere for the damage they have done to this country. I think it will be totally unfortunate on our part to even remotely consider PDP in its current state as an alternative to APC. There is no basis for that comparison.

    “I am not suggesting that we have perfectly handled things; no. There are things that citizens should criticise our party for, and they will be right for doing so.”

  • Ekiti has benefitted more under APC – Fayemi

    Ekiti has benefitted more under APC – Fayemi

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said on Thursday that Ekiti State has benefited more from the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government in less than three years than the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Fayemi scored the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration high in its three cardinal policies of reviving the economy, security and anti-corruption.

    He urged Nigerians to be wary of the PDP’s threat to return to power, saying the damage done to the economy by the PDP government was monumental hence it should not be allowed to return to power.

    The former Ekiti State governor said the PDP was scheming for a comeback to power in order to continue the looting that brought the nation’s economy to its knees.

    Fayemi spoke at a news conference on Thursday at his Eyi Yato Villa residence in Isan-Ekiti shortly before hosting thousands of APC members to an end-of-the-year stakeholders meeting.

    The meeting was attended by party leaders including former Governor of the state, Segun Oni, APC Chairman in the state, Chief Olajide Awe, party executives from all the 177 wards, 16 Local Government Areas, 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and the three senatorial districts in Ekiti.

    The minister faulted the claim of Governor Ayo Fayose that he (Fayemi) has not used his position as minister to benefit his home state, noting that Ekiti now enjoys concrete federal presence.

    The ex-governor revealed that thousands of Ekiti people are now beneficiaries of empowerment programmes and loan schemes of the federal government which has boosted their standards of living.

     

     

  • Fayemi gives rice to residents

    Fayemi gives rice to residents

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has directed that rice be distributed to residents of Ekiti State to celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities.

    The distribution, which is being handled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Executive Committee in conjunction with JKF Centre, started last Saturday afternoon.

    One hundred and seventy seven wards are to get their shares; other consignments are for residents, irrespective of their party affiliations.

    Party leaders, community leaders, trade, religious and women groups were not left out.

    The Director of JKF Centre Mr. Biodun Omoleye said Fayemi, a former governor, is aware of the economic challenges among the people, especially the less-privileged, workers and pensioners, who are being owed.

    He said Fayemi decided to identify with the people to enable them share in the joy of the Yuletide.

    Omoleye said the minister would continue to assist residents in tackling social dislocations in the New Year to mitigate unemployment among youths.