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Tag: Fayose

  • APC accuses Fayose of insensitivity to workers’ plight

    APC accuses Fayose of insensitivity to workers’ plight

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has described Governor Ayodele Fayose’s Christmas Dubai trip as a reckless insensitivity to the workers’ plight, saying it was a height of irresponsibility by the governor to embark on private comfort abroad while state workers live in miserable conditions during festive Yuletide season.

    Specifically, the party accused the governor of refusal to pay workers salary for three months while embarking on Christmas foreign trip through over-bloated expenses costing Ekiti people N250m.

    Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement described the governor’s Sunday trip to Dubai as the height of insensitivity and wickedness for a governor who always calls himself peoples’ governor. “It is more worrisome that the governor prepared and collected travelling allowances for 10 aides who he claimed were to travel with him to Dubai, but only one eventually made the trip while money running into millions for the remaining nine was pocketed by the governor,” Olatunbosun alleged.
    He added that the Dubai trip “confirmed our earlier alarm that Fayose is taking Ekiti money out to the Middle East country whenever he receives allocation from the Federal Government”.

    He added: “Fayose just visited local governments where he lied to the  workers that the state government is broke whereas he has appropriated N250m for his needless trip and those of ghost aides after setting aside another N250 million for his monthly personal security vote.

    “This is a governor who few days ago accused his colleagues of extravagant spending through foreign trips even though he himself is the greatest culprit. This confirms our allegation that Governor Fayose is an incorrigible con artist that ever lives.”
    Regretting that Fayose was dehumanising Ekiti people through anti-people policies, such as heavy taxes that could not be accounted for, he said this was unlike in former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s era in 2013 when workers collected their December salary a week to Christmas in addition to 30 percent of their annual basic salary as Christmas bonus.

    “Fayose again conned Ekiti workers by paying ten percent of their monthly basic salary which translated to about N700 (seven hundred naira) to most workers while he shamelessly boasted he had paid workers’ bonus,” he said.

    He added that even though he collected over N9b cash for bailout to clear arrears of workers’ salary, pensions and allowances of former political office holders, the money was allegedly diverted to other purposes.

    “He is owing Ekiti workers three months salary arrears, pensioners’ four months arrears and has not paid severance and furniture allowances of former political office holders,” he explained.
    Calling on EFCC and ICPC to invite Ekiti State Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the Auditor General for interrogation on how the finances of the state were mismanaged on the alleged governor’s instructions, the party reiterated its resolve to institute a legal action against the governor over alleged financial recklessness and refusal to account for all the monies he collected from the Federation Account.

  • Verbal attacks on Fayose condemned

    Verbal attacks on Fayose condemned

    Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose on Public Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka has described the verbal attacks on his boss by former governors Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi as “meaningless”.

    He said: “Governor Fayose will not dignify the former governors with any response.

    “Fayose has demonstrated his statesmanship by restoring Oni’s rights as a former governor, which was denied him and I think he (Oni) should be mindful of this.

    “However, some of us who went through pains and hardships to defend him (Oni) against humiliation and persecution will not keep silent.”

    Reacting to Fayemi’s comments on a radio station in Akure, Ondo State last Saturday, Olayinka said: “Fayose has conducted local government elections twice as Ekiti governor, which one did Fayemi conduct?

    “Fayemi did not conduct local government elections, he also sacked elected council chairmen and councillors.

    “I will urge them to leave my boss alone and let him concentrate on working for the people, who elected him.”

  • Fayemi: Fayose running trial-and-error govt

    Fayemi: Fayose running trial-and-error govt

    •Minister exonerates Buhari from military probe
    •’Local govt election can’t stand’

    President Muhammadu Buhari has no hand in the military enquiry into the alleged use of soldiers to manipulate the June 21, 2014, governorship election in Ekiti State, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Kayode Fayemi has said.

    The ex-governor said the decision to probe soldiers’ conduct was taken by the Military High Command and not by Buhari, as alleged by Governor Ayo Fayose in Lagos.

    The minister, who spoke on ADABA 88.9 FM, Akure, on Saturday, described Fayose’s allegation that Buhari was planning to unseat him with the military probe as the “eruption of an infantile mind”.

    Assessing developments in his home state, Fayemi said Fayose runs a “trial-and-error government” and a “government of lottery”, noting that his successor never prepared for governance, hence the alleged “reduction of governance to comedy” in Ekiti.

    The minister also said the last local government election would not stand legal scrutiny, as his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has gone to the Court of Appeal to seek the nullification of the poll.

    He appealed to the people to be patient, assuring them that things would soon be better.

    Fayemi said Ekiti people had  seen the “insensitivity” of the Fayose administration in the imposition of taxes and the governor leading a task force to harass traders and seize their goods.

    Reacting to Fayose’s claim that the military Board of Enquiry probe was targeted at him (Fayose), the former governor said the erring soldiers were not being probed on their involvement in Ekiti election alone but in other states, such as Osun, Rivers and Abia.

    Fayemi said: “The (Fayose’s) allegation is rubbish and so typical of the governor to reduce everything to his own imagination. To the best of my knowledge, President Buhari is no longer a military ruler.

    “But if the military, in its wisdom, decides to investigate the role of soldiers in elections in Osun, Ekiti, Rivers and Abia, what has that got to do with President Buhari or the Federal Executive Council?

    “He (Fayose) is only trying to draw attention to himself, he wants a response and nobody has responded to him either at party level or governmental level.

    “This is the eruption of an infantile mind. We don’t want to dignify him with any response on what he has been saying about President Buhari.”

    The minister said Fayose’s accusation that he (Fayemi) left a “huge debt” behind has been refuted by the pronouncement from the Debt Management Office (DMO) that Ekiti’s debt stands at N18 billion; contrary to the N85 billion and N125 billion being peddled by the incumbent governor.

    He said since he left office over a year ago, he had never been invited by any anti-corruption agency to answer for any mismanagement of public funds, which is a proof that he ran a transparent government during his tenure.

    “If the Fayose administration has been entertaining the public and deluding itself with bogus figures, it is left to it. I served Ekiti to the best of my ability and my record speaks for me. For those who claim that I didn’t do anything, I have put Ekiti behind me,” he said.

    On the outrage over taxes imposed by the Fayose administration, Fayemi said there was nothing bad about taxation but the interest of the people must be put into consideration and there should be an interface with them before such an action is taken.

    Fayemi said the governor re-introduced the Social Security Scheme of giving N5,000 to 10,000 people in the Appropriation Bill and wondeed why his was scrapped.

    Speaking on the situation of the APC in Ekiti, Fayemi said he was interested in pursuing unity and ensuring that the party waxes stronger everyday. He stressed that there were no factions but interest groups working to restore the party back to power.

    Fayemi explained that the unity within the party was brought to the fore by the agreement of leaders and members not to participate in the last council election and to challenge the composition of the state electoral agency in court.

    The former governor described the election of the council administrators as “an illegality, which will not be allowed to stand”.

    He noted that Nigerians would soon reap the change promised by the APC-led Federal Government.

     

  • Buhari has no hand in military probe of Ekitigate – Fayemi

    Buhari has no hand in military probe of Ekitigate – Fayemi

    The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has absolved President Muhammadu Buhari of involvement in the military inquiry into the alleged use of soldiers to manipulate the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State.

    Fayemi, said the decision to probe soldiers’ conduct during the election was taken by the military high command and not by Buhari as alleged by Governor Ayo Fayose during a recent press briefing in Lagos.

    Appearing on a special interview programme on ADABA 88.9 FM, Akure, monitored by our reporter on Saturday evening, Fayemi described Fayose’s allegation that Buhari was planning to unseat him with the military probe as an “eruption of an infantile mind.”

    The former Ekiti governor regretted that Fayose runs a “trial-and-error government” and a “government of lottery” noting that his successor never prepared for the serious business of governance hence the alleged “reduction of governance to comedy.”

    Fayemi also expressed confidence that the result of the last local government election in the state won’t stand the test of legal scrutiny as his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has gone to the Court of Appeal to seek the nullification of the council poll.

    He appealed to the people of the state to exercise patience under the alleged misrule and anti-people policies being forced down their throat by the Fayose regime, assuring that things will be better for them in the nearest future.

    He said all segments of Ekiti population have now seen the alleged insensitivity of the current government in the imposition of higher taxes and the governor personally leading task force to harass market women and seize their goods.

    Reacting to Fayose’s claim that the military probe of the alleged misuse of soldiers for electoral fraud was targeted at him (Fayose), Fayemi said the erring soldiers were not be probed on their involvement in Ekiti election alone but in other states like Osun, Rivers and Abia.

    He said: “The Fayose’s allegation is rubbish and so typical of him to reduce everything to his own imagination. To the best of my knowledge, President Buhari is no longer a military ruler.

    “But if the military in its wisdom decides to investigate the role of soldiers in elections in Osun, Ekiti, Rivers and Abia, what has that got to do with President Buhari or the Federal Executive Council?

    “He (Fayose) is only trying to draw attention to himself. He wants a response and nobody has responded to him either at party level or governmental level.

    “This is an eruption of an infantile mind, we don’t want to dignify him with any response on what he has been saying about President Buhari.”

  • Fayose is a tragedy, says Oni

    Fayose is a tragedy, says Oni

    •Raps gov over doomsday predictions

    The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Segun Oni, has lampooned Governor Ayo Fayose for predicting doom for the country under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.

    The former Ekiti State governor also described the corruption witnessed under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency especially the alleged stealing of arms funds as “the biggest looting anywhere in the world.”

    Oni also dismissed claims in some quarters that Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade is selective saying those the probe couldn’t have been extended to individuals who were not in government saying the searchlight could only be beamed on those who held positions in trust for people but abused same.

    Fayose had last week sponsored advertorials in some national dailies in which he made twenty predictions of woes Nigerians should expect under the Buhari Presidency next year.

    But Oni in an interview with reporters on Christmas day in his Ifaki Ekiti country home described Fayose as a “tragedy” saying his doomsday predictions couldn’t have come from somebody who means well for Ekiti people and Nigerians.

    The APC leader noted that Fayose in predicting doom for Nigeria fails to recognize the fact that Ekiti is part of Nigeria and whatever that affects Nigeria will definitely affect Ekiti.

    Oni said: “His (Fayose’s) church is a church of retrogression and people should not follow him. Anybody who cannot envision goodness cannot dispense goodness and that is why Ekiti is in trouble.

    “It is a half full glass of water, if your leader says it is half full, it is an expectation that it will be one day full. If your leader says it is half empty, it is an expectation that it will one day be empty.

    “That guy is a tragedy because if he does not see any good for Nigeria, how can he see something good for his people? So, he is a tragedy. He is not doing himself any world of good because he is exposing his inner self.

    “You are making 20 predictions and all of them are about woes for Nigeria and your state is part of Nigeria and he has not turned around to make predictions here for goodness about the people he is governing which means what for the people he is governing is what he wants for the people of Nigeria.

    “I will not allow such a person to lead me, I will not allow such a person to lead me because he has no goodness in him and he has no expectation of goodness and he has no prayer for goodness.”

    On the alleged arms looting bazaar under Jonathan, Oni said: “It is the biggest looting anywhere in the world. What Mobutu (Sese Seko) took away from Zaire is not up to what these (Jonathan) people put in their chest pocket.

    “No country even the USA can go through this without feeling the weight. There will be restoration of Nigeria to good position soon and the change promised won’t happen by magic”.

    Reacting to Fayose’s claim that the anti-corruption war is selective, Oni said: “If you want to probe people in government, are you going to probe somebody who was in opposition trying to enter the government?

    “I was in the PDP and why can’t they say let us go and probe Oni, that so-so amount was given to Oni when he was the National Vice Chairman (of PDP).

    “That governor is not making sense, we are looking for thieves and we are not going to look outside the confines of government to get those who stole government monies.

    Speaking on the 2016 Budget, Oni urged Nigerians to be patient and give the lawmakers an opportunity to scrutinize and pass the budget to law.

  • APC to sue Fayose for ‘reckless spending’

    APC to sue Fayose for ‘reckless spending’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said it will sue Governor Ayo Fayose for the “reckless manner in which state funds are spent”.

    The party said Fayose would explain his fabricated figures on the state’s debts, aimed at deceiving the people and undermining ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi, in court

    Reacting to claims by Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, that Fayemi plunged Ekiti into debts without any commensurate projects, Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun said, in a statement yesterday, that it was only the blind that could not see the developmental projects of the former governor.

    The opposition accused Fayose of telling tall tales, saying Fayose’s claim that the state’s debt profile was N232 billion contradicted the N18 billion quoted by the Debt Management Office (DMO).

    “Fayemi did not borrow to pay salary. He received awards from many international bodies, including the United Nations and top Nigerians, for the feats he recorded in development projects, the last being the budget transparency award that Fayose tried to usurp.

    “Fayose lied that Fayemi at a point collected N9 billion as monthly federal allocation. The records are there that Ekiti’s monthly allocation remained N2.8 billion throughout and the biggest being N3.2 billion when excess crude oil fund was shared among states.

    “The former governor owed one month salary, and that was September 2014, and this was as a result of Fayose as governor-elect writing the banks not to honour Fayemi’s credit facility to pay workers and the banks after receiving the allocation for the month in question,” Olatunbosun explained.

    He added: “Fayemi paid N2.2 billion monthly for salaries, pensions and subventions to higher institutions throughout his tenure.

    “With thousands of workers losing their jobs and many social services suspended when Fayose became governor, the monthly wage bill has reduced to less than N2 billion contrary to the N2.6 billion Fayose claims is the monthly wage bill.”

    He challenged the governor to produce the state’s debt figure different from the N18 billion the Debt Management Office (DMO) declared, saying Fayose was not truthful by quoting N232 billion.

    “This is a man who has introduced all manner of taxes that he can’t account for, yet he comes everyday declaring that Ekiti is broke.

    “We hereby issue him a deadline of seven days to render accounts of monies received since he assumed office, including taxes he imposed on the people.

    “The civil servants who he owed three months’ salaries and allowances as well as Ekiti people deserve to know how their money is being spent.

    “Failure to do this will compel APC to mobilise civil society groups and men of good conscience to press for the investigation and prosecution of Fayose.’’

  • Stop deceiving people, APC tells Fayose

    Stop deceiving people, APC tells Fayose

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has warned Governor Ayo Fayose not to deceive the people on the state’s financial status.

    The party said the governor’s message to workers that they should not expect pay in January was a mark of his uncaring attitude, stressing that the state’s allocation was enough to pay salaries since the governor refused to embark on infrastructure development.

    In a statement yesterday by Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said October statutory federal allocation to the state and local governments, totalling N3.635,936,192.00, was more than enough to pay workers.

    “October allocation was N1,967,380,219.98; allocation to the 16 local governments was N1,668,555,972.02 totalling N3,635,936,192.00.

    “This is different from the N9 billion bailout, which is meant to clear arrears of salaries but which he is yet to account for.

    “If Fayose claims he spends N2.6 billion for workers’ salary, which is inflated anyway, what does he do with the balance, particularly as he doesn’t have any infrastructure development spending?” Olatunbosun queried.

    The APC spokesman also wondered how a governor, who 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 say he does not have money to pay salary.

    “Besides, there is the failure to implement any of his election campaign promises.

    During the 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. Students now pay more than they did when Dr Kayode Fayemi was 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 Government intervention fund to run primary schools. He has also refused to pay the counterpart fund in running the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the result of which has forced pupils to pay fees in primary schools,” he explained.

    He said the governor also refused to pay the counterpart fund in the World Bank-Assisted Ekiti State Community and Social Development Agency (EKCSDA), saying development initiatives of the agency were at halted while workers were being owed.

    “Fayose has also ordered another World Bank project, called ‘Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) shut down because the project refused his list of beneficiaries.”

    Olatunbosun accused Fayose of running the state as his personal property, arguing that the governor do not show interest in what would not benefit him.

    He urged the governor to show transparency in his policy, saying he had no excuse to owe workers’ salaries while spending millions of naira on advertorials to abuse President Muhammadu Buhari on trivial issues.

    Reacting to allegations, Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports Lanre Ogunsuyi denied that the government issued any circular to workers that they won’t get their salary.

    “What we know is that we may not be able to pay as and when due because of the state of the economy which the President himself has amplified.”

    On the UBEC counterpart funding, Ogunsuyi said: “The last time the state paid was in 2012.

    “We are also in arrears of YESSO and so many other projects that were under counterpart funding.”

     

     

  • APC to Fayose: Stop deceiving Ekiti people on financial status

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has warned Governor Ayo Fayose against deceiving the people on the state financial status.

    The party said the governor’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 infrastructural development programme.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary in the state, 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.

    He 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 N9 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 infrastructural 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.

    “‎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 of 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 pay fees in primary schools,” he added.

  • Fayose swears in council chairmen

    Fayose swears in council chairmen

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday swore in local government chairmen, saying there was no more money to steal in the councils.

    Fayose urged them to take Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) serious, emphasising the need to strive to augment statutory allocations from the Federation Account.

    The governor advised the council bosses not to be money-conscious but to make the people’s welfare their priority.

    The governor said in line with the policy of empowering people at the local level, each councillor and chairman would use N20,000 of their salaries to empower two persons in their wards.

    Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, Chairman of Gbonyin Local Government, Mrs Folashade Akinrinmola, thanked the governor, party leaders and people.

    Others are: Kazeem Ogunsakin (Ado); Bolaji Jeje (Efon); Adekunle Adeniyi (Ekiti East); Olanrewaju Omolase (Ekiti Southwest); Omotunde Kolawole (Ekiti West); Taiwo Oguntuase (Emure); Ayodele Arogbodo (Ido/Osi); Abiodun Dada (Ijero); Ola Alonge (Ikere); Yemi Adeyanju (Ikole); Oladapo Olagunju (Irepodun/Ifelodun); Olumide Falade (Ise/Orun); Adeniyi Adebayo (Moba) and Omotayo Ogundare (Oye).

     

  • Fayose summons security meeting over policeman’s murder

    Fayose summons security meeting over policeman’s murder

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose on Wednesday summoned a security meeting, following the killing of a policeman by an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday.

    During a fact-finding visit to the DSS state headquarters on New Iyin Road, an officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the State Director, Duke Fubara, was attending a meeting summoned by the governor.

    “The DSS Director is not on seat now. He is attending a security meeting with the governor. But I want to assure you that we will reach out to you as soon as he is back,” he said.

    A source at the Government House revealed that the meeting was still ongoing at the time of this report.

    Police spokesman Alberto Adeyemi, in a telephone chat, confirmed the security meeting.

    He explained that the Commissioner of Police, Etop James, was on official tour to Abuja but was represented at the security meeting by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sagir Abubakar.

    But the State Police Command has insisted that the DSS must produce the officer who shot the gun which killed one policeman and injured another.