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Tag: Fayose

  • Workers disagree with Fayose on debt profile

    Workers disagree with Fayose on debt profile

    Barely 20 hours after meeting with Governor Ayo Fayose, Ekiti State civil servants have rejected his position on the state’s indebtedness.

    They demanded their outstanding September 2014 salaries, leave bonuses for 2014 and 2015, unpaid deductions and pensioners’ entitlements.

    Acting under the aegis of the Enlightened Workers’ Forum (EWF), the workers described Fayose’s claim on the indebtedness as “deceitful, bogus and dubious”, saying the debt claim was being exaggerated for alleged sinister motives.

    The governor met the workers on Wednesday at the Abiodun Adetiloye Hall of the Trade Fair Complex, Ado Ekiti.

    He told the workers that the state was bogged down by “huge debt” incurred by the last administration.

    Fayose, whose meeting followed the workers’ agitation that the government should access the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) bailout funds, said he would leave the final decision to the civil servants, as the facility would plunge Ekiti into another debt commitment for the next 20 years.

    He said: “They say they are restructuring N18.8billion of our commercial loans and with the nine per cent interest, by the time the money is repaid in 20 years, we would have paid an extra N36 billion as interest and this means the N18billion would have become N56billion.”

    But EWF in a statement yesterday by its coordinator, Mike Bamidele, accused the governor of deceiving them and the public on the debt profile, saying workers would no longer tolerate excuses on the non-payment of September 2014 salaries, leave bonuses and unpaid deductions.

    It said: “Although his claims on the total wage bill, loan servicing and allocations to the state have been doubtful, the Nigerian Tribune of August 13, which published the June allocations to the federal, states and local governments shared in July, only threw more light on it.

    “This publication was revealing, as it exposed the misinformation of the public by Fayose on the position of the debt owed by the state and what goes into debt servicing.

    “The publication was reminiscent of the popular Yoruba adage that ‘if falsehood has gone for 20 years, it will take just one day for the truth to catch up with it’.

    “It is certain that the controversies over what the state owes and the amount being used to service it has been put to rest, as the debt has been put at about N48 billion, which of course is the cumulative figure of Ekiti State debts over the years, even beyond the four years of the ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration and the loan repayment, at N523 million.

    “We now know who the liar is between Governor Fayose and his predecessor. The publication has exposed Fayose, having gone on air on July 30 to deceive the people that he only got N2.4billion for the month.

    “He was sweating and more or less swearing on the TV that day, saying he would still have to augment this amount with a loan of N200million for him to pay the salaries for July, when in fact, he collected N4.861billion.

    “What accrued to the state and the 16 local governments for June was N7.998billion, because the latter got a net total of N3.13billion.

    “The disturbing aspect of this issue is that anytime there was an exposure of the antics of Fayose, either in the newspapers or electronic media, the governor would rush to his Ekiti Radio to dispute it and attribute same to the opposition, even when the source was authentic and undisputable. This same scenario played out on the publication in question, as he asked Ekiti people to ignore it.

    “We are using this medium to urge Ekiti people to watch out and be vigilant, as two heavy allocations will get to the state in a few days. We are expecting the CBN bailout of N9.6 billion and a huge allocation for July, as the three tiers of government will share N511 billion.

    “Otherwise, the ore mekunu (friend of the poor) will turn round to tell us he only collected N2 billion and N1.5 billion.

    “We disagree with the governor on the wage bill of N2.6billion he has persistently presented to the people of Ekiti State because the last government, which had greater responsibilities, only paid N2.5billion wage.”

    The EWF slammed labour leaders in the state for their alleged “criminal silence” in the face of what was going on, most especially the non-payment of the backlog of arrears of workers’ entitlements.

  • Fayose more guilty of lopsided appointments – APC

    Fayose more guilty of lopsided appointments – APC

    The Ekiti State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has tackled Governor Ayo Fayose on his criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments which he described as lopsided and promoting Northern agenda.

    The party said Fayose is more guilty of carrying out lopsided appointments since his return to the Government House, maintaining that he lacks the moral authority to attack the President over the appointments of close aides.

    In a statement issued on Thursday by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party wondered why Fayose failed to remove the speck in his eyes before removing the log in the eyes of somebody else saying, “the governor is  guilty of worse insensitivity to his fellow Ekiti people in the state appointments made so far.

    The APC accused Fayose of religious bias while he has favoured appointees from his hometown, local government area and members of his former political parties in the appointments made so far.

    The opposition party alleged that treatment of Muslims in terms of appointment in the state is the worst since the state was created, saying “Muslims were not given up to one percent of the appointments made by Fayose’s administration.”

    Olatunbosun said: “While Buhari’s appointments of his personal aides were based mainly on merit and conviction that they would deliver good services to lift Nigeria out of the woods, Fayose’s consideration for appointments was based on narrow selfish motives for self-preservation.

    “While Buhari considered competence, merit and track records of sound morality in public conduct in the appointments of his personal aides, self-preservation is the major criterion for appointments in Fayose’s government.

    “This self-preservation is anchored on prospects of the vulnerability of the appointees to manipulation and family affinity which Fayose believes he can exploit to enable him have a firm grip on the state and do whatever he wants with the fortunes of Ekiti people without restraints.”

    Olatunbosun said while Buhari saw hard-working and honest Nigerians as having equal rights to political appointments to render their services to the nation, Fayose’s choice of appointees was based on loyalty of such appointees to serve his personal interests.

    Listing instances where Fayose chose personal interest above state’s interest in appointments, Olatunbosun said: “In the twilight of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Governor Fayose chose a 73-year-old Ambassador Toye Olofintuyi from his (Fayose) Irepodun/Ifelodun local government as Ekiti State representative at the Federal Civil Service Commission against the wishes of party leaders.

    “Fayose’s Chief of Staff is from the governor’s ward. His Personal Assistant, Secretary of the Local Government Education Authority and the chairman of Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA) are all from Afao-Ekiti, the governor’s home town.”

  • Fayose to teachers: resume late and be sacked

    Fayose to teachers: resume late and be sacked

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has told teachers  to be prepared for surprise visits.

    He said anyone who resumes late or is absent, would be sacked.

    The governor warned civil servants against engaging in private businesses during office hours, saying such workers would also be dismissed.

    Fayose, who spoke yesterday at a meeting with stakeholders in the education sector ahead of an education summit holding next week, said there must be attitudinal change by parents, teachers, pupils and other stakeholders.

    The governor at another forum with civil servants said he had pardoned those apprehended on Monday, adding that the government would no longer discipline them.

    He urged indigenes and residents to pay taxes, to assist his administration to make life easy, stressing that “there is no more free launch anywhere.”

    Addressing stakeholders on the summit, Fayose said the education sector was in a shambles, hence the need to invite stakeholders to rescue it.

    Emphasising his love for teachers, the governor said he would not condone indiscipline and other acts that could jeopardise the future of the pupils.

    He said: “Although I love teachers, I will pay unscheduled visits to schools and if I take the roll call and you are not there, you are gone. You people don’t like the truth, but it must be told.

    “We have a great country, great people, but bad attitude. There must be attitudinal change. In many government offices, some workers sell pepper and palm oil. Anybody caught selling in offices will be in trouble.

    “Many governments can no longer pay WAEC fees. We have to face the fact. If returning the (mission) schools to the owners will help some solve many of these problems, I’m ready to do it.

    “I advise our people to plan their family because educating these children is not easy. The standard of education is very poor. Some of these girls in our universities can’t speak correct English.”

    Fayose said private school owners must be ready to pay new taxes.

    He vowed to compel them to declare the number of pupils in their schools by swearing to an affidavit.

    The governor said: “You have to declare your pupils and you will swear to an oath. If I visit your school, which has 500 pupils and you declare 200 pupils, you are in trouble.”

    Addressing civil servants, he said he would hold a dialogue with them on the way forward.

    Fayose urged the workers to meet their labour union leaders and agree on a decision whether Ekiti should take the bailout or not.

    He said the bailout would commit the state to a debt burden for 20 years.

    “Anything that will bring you relief, I’m ready to do it and I will take your permission before I give them the Irrevocable Standard Payment Order (ISPO) in Abuja.

    “I want you to know that N8 billion in 20 years will be N22 billion. I am saying this because after I might have left office, it will not look as if I deliberately plunge the state into debt.

    “I need to remind you that it is from the same allocation that I will accommodate N600 million bond, deduction of the commercial loans plus the wage.

    “When allocation comes and they deduct everything from it, you will not say I didn’t tell you.”

  • Fayose attacks Buhari again

    Fayose attacks Buhari again

    •’President promoting northern agenda’

       Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has again attacked President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of carrying out a “tainted ethnic and tribal colouration inimical to the country’s unity.”

    Fayose, reacting to the appointments by the President, accused Buhari of carrying out what he called “northernisation of Nigeria.”

    He said the appointments “negate the principle of federal character and it appears the unity in diversity of Nigeria is being taken for granted by the President.”

    In a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was wrong for Buhari to have made 31 major appointments and only seven would come from the South.

    He accused the President of abandoning the key projects initiated by former President Goodluck Jonathan, such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Lokoja Highway and the Second Niger Bridge.

    Fayose asked: “Under Buhari, are people from the South only meant to be hounded and harassed by anti-corruption agencies and the Department of State Security (DSS), while those from the North are meant to enjoy Federal Government’s juicy appointments?”

    He said: “Besides the lopsided appointments by the President, I’m worried that the building of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been slowed down and work has stopped on the Lokoja-Abuja roads, which are the major roads linking the South with the North.

    “Also, we have been told by the Federal Government that the Second Niger Bridge project has been suspended and one is beginning to remember how Buhari cancelled the Lagos metro-line project in 1985 at a loss of over $78 million (then) to the Lagos tax payers.”

    Fayose, who noted that the country could only move forward if there was equity and fairness, said those who made the constitution and enshrined the principle of federal character were mindful of the nation’s ethnic diversity, adding that President Buhari’s running Nigeria as if he was a Northern Nigeria’s President was not in the country’s interest.

    His words: “They said the President made the appointments on merit and I wish to ask whether there are no competent people in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South, especially in the Southeast where no one has been appointed.

    “Are they saying Igbo leader like Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who graduated with a first-class degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, is not competent to be appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)?

     

     

  • Fayose…One day, one drama

    Fayose…One day, one drama

    Give it to him, he is the king of drama. Ayodele Peter Fayose, the Ekiti State governor, knows the game.

    Hardly does any day pass without him being involved in one drama or the other.

    In Ado-Ekiti, the state capital yesterday, civil servants whose penchant for coming late to work gave the governor a good script to act out. His Excellency was punctual and on hand to catch the late comers.

    Mr. ‘no-nonsense’ gave it to the late comers and in their suits, they prostrated and knelt down, begging His Excellency to spare their lives – sorry, their jobs.

    If he is not at the buka, eating pounded yam with some of his aides, he is at the palmwine shop taking some shots of the natural drink. You can also catch him on okada, going to the market to buy pepper, onion or palm oil.

    At some other times, His Excellency is driving a pick-up van, cheered on by excited passers-by or distributing Christmas chickens to workers.

    Do not be shocked too if you see His Excellency clearing the drainage or personally hanging the picture of his predecessor on the wall in the government House.

    Last Friday, Fayose stunned many when he appointed a 72-year-old illiterate carpenter as a local government caretaker committee chairman. He gave him a graduate as a Personal Assistant. Not a few believe the PA will end up doing the job.

    It means nothing whether or not the man can sign papers or not.

    The Osoko, as he loves to be addressed, does not give a damn. Criticise him from now till eternity for his actions or inactions, he simply does not have any apology.

    Afterall, it’s all in day’s work

     

  • ‘Don’t recognise Fayose’s candidates’

    ‘Don’t recognise Fayose’s candidates’

    The factional crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State is threatening the local government election of December 19.

    The Tunde Olatunde-led faction, which has 14 State Working Committee (SWC) members, warned the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) against recognising council poll candidates nominated by the faction loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The pro-Fayose faction, led by embattled chairman Idowu Faleye, has been sued by the Olatunde faction.

    The Olatunde faction has forwarded a petition to SIEC, warning the electoral body on the consequences of recognising the candidates put forward by the Faleye faction.

    It threatened a legal action against SIEC, if it went ahead to recognise the candidates.

    The September 21 petition, addressed to the SIEC Chairman, Justice Kayode Bamisile, was signed by its lawyer, Oluwatobi Fatoki, Olatunde and exco members loyal to him.

    It maintained that “Faleye and his loyalists are impostors and that SIEC should stop dealing with them on electoral issues”.

  • Fayose vows to close down banks over tax evasion

    Fayose vows to close down banks over tax evasion

    … Locks out civil servants for late coming

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has threatened to close down four commercial banks in the state over their alleged refusal to pay several millions of naira as taxes to government coffers.

    Fayose, who issued the threat on Monday while holding a meeting with retirees in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, revealed that he had obtained a court order to shut down the affected banks.

    The governor, who accused the banks of shortchanging government despite making huge profits from the state, said he would not look the other way and allow banks and other corporate organizations to defraud the state.

    He warned the affected banks and other businesses owing government taxes and levies to pay same or risk being closed down.

    Fayose also reiterated his decision to make all private nursery, primary and secondary schools in the state pay newly-imposed taxes before resumption by middle of September.

    Each of the private schools is expected to pay N150,000 into government coffers before reopening for the new academic session, while anybody who purchases one cow to be slaughtered for any occasion will now pay N1,000.

    Fayose also told the pensioners that he is targeting haulage vehicles passing through the state as taxes would now be imposed on them to generate revenue into government purse.

    He pleaded with the pensioners to be patient with him, saying he has been battling with the debt left behind by the immediate past administration and promised to meet their demands as soon as financial situation improves.

    Meanwhile, Fayose on Monday caught hundreds of civil servants by surprise when he stormed the state Secretariat unannounced for an unscheduled visit.

    The governor, who arrived the secretariat at 8:00am, ordered that the main gate be locked against latecomers most of whom were unaware that the state chief executive was around.

    Fayose, who wore a black suit over sky blue shirt and black trousers, stood on the road leading to the secretariat where he personally caught the erring civil servants.

     

  • Photo: Kneeling, prostrating civil servants pleading with Fayose

    Photo: Kneeling, prostrating civil servants pleading with Fayose

    Civil servants who arrived late for work at the Ekiti State Secretariat pleading with Governor Ayo Fayose on Monday . Photo: Lere Layinka
    Civil servants who arrived late for work at the Ekiti State Secretariat pleading with Governor Ayo Fayose on Monday . Photo: Lere Layinka
  • APC faults Fayose’s ‘tax burden’ on Ekiti

    APC faults Fayose’s ‘tax burden’ on Ekiti

    Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted a new regime of taxes and levies imposed on residents by Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The party, which said the new taxes and levies would make life unbearable for the residents, added that imposition of higher taxes on Ekiti people was contrary to the electoral promises made to them by Fayose before the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

    The governor, APC said, pledged to execute policies to make life easier for the electorate.

    Fayose had while featuring on his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, on Friday announced a series of new taxes payable by private schools, business owners, house developers, traders, butchers, corporate organisations and other segment of the population.

    The governor said the new taxes and levies were sacrifices people must offer to assist his administration to meet their yearnings following the shortfall in the allocations received from the Federation Account, which, he said, could only pay workers’ salaries.

    Reacting to the new regime of taxes and levies, the APC, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said Fayose, by his action, had shown that he was not a friend of the common man as he claimed to be.

    Olatunbosun regretted that 10 months on, what Ekiti people saw was a reversal of fortunes under “an administration that has made deceit and lies as official policies of administration”.

    He said Fayose had allegedly turned Ekiti people to puns in a political chess game, regretting that the people with prospects for success in their calling had been turned into “babies without reason”.

    Olatunbosun said: “What we have experienced in the hands of Governor Fayose is turning Ekiti people to babies without reason. He believes Ekiti people have no capacity for reasoning or that they have short memories and incapable of knowing their rights or that they can easily be incapacitated to insist on their rights.

    “This we have seen in his reckless breaking of promises to the people in the last 10 months of his administration after running down his opponent’s life-lifting policies with the promise that Ekiti people’s lives would be better under his administration, if voted into power.

    “Fayose promised market women freedom to ply their trade anywhere they wished, saying he would not bother them with taxes or chase them with the environmental task force.”

    He added: “But today, Fayose is not only chasing them away from their trading points, he is also destroying their wares, including pepper and tomatoes, and imposing unbearable taxes that the traders cannot afford if they are to make any profit while market women are also being dislodged from their stalls and heavy fees imposed on them to acquire stalls in the new market he is planning to build.

    “How much does a poor pepper and tomatoes seller makes that the governor is asking them to pay the magnitude of taxes he is imposing on them?

    “As we speak, he is planning to force uniform to be supplied by the government on commercial motorcyclists at a fee while also planning to be collecting taxes from the okada operators, who he promised free reign during his campaigns, the same way he wants to be collecting tax on each cow slaughtered a day by butchers, who cry out over low daily sales.

    “Unfortunately, it is the children of these same poor people that Fayose has imposed education levies and examination fees in both primary and secondary schools on the excuse that it is those that don’t pay for their education that fail in their examinations and we wonder whether Yoruba people that didn’t pay for their education during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s free education days didn’t pass their examinations or whether beneficiaries of that free education are now failures in their communities.”

    Olatunbosun, who described the governor’s action as “callous and reckless”, said breaking promises made to the electorate did not portray the governor as possessing the needed integrity to take Ekiti to greater heights.

    The APC spokesman said rather than build on the policies of the immediate past administration aimed at giving economic empowerment to the people, Fayose not only cancelled them, but is now adding to their burden.

    He regretted that the beneficiaries of the economic empowerment initiatives of the immediate past administration had been left in the lurch while those promised by Fayose during electioneering campaign had been fooled and made to wait for Manna that might not come.

    Olatunbosun added: “Fayose, while vilifying Governor Kayode Fayemi for paying what he (Fayose) called a ‘pittance’ of N5,000 to Ekiti elderly people, promised during his campaigns to increase their monthly pay to N10,000 while also promising youths thousands of jobs and asked them to submit their application letters at his campaign office at his Spotless Hotel.

    “Today, Fayose has cancelled the social security scheme for the elderly and the poor elderly people that cherished Fayemi’s gesture to ensure their sustenance now live on charity and some in hopelessness.

    “The application letters he asked youths to write and submit at his campaign office are now common wrappers with groundnut sellers on the streets of Ado-Ekiti, thus creating double tragedy for Ekiti youths.

    “For instance, the youth engaged in commercial agriculture production receiving sponsorship by Fayemi’s administration have been sent packing, same with thousands of youths in volunteer corps and hundreds of youths engaged in traffic management.

    “Youth entrepreneurial and apprenticeship scheme by Fayemi that could make youths employers of labour has also been cancelled by Fayose and in their place, he introduced stomach infrastructure that gives a measure of rice and three-month-old fowls to Ekiti people every Christmas.”

  • Fayose imposes higher levies on Ekiti residents

    Fayose imposes higher levies on Ekiti residents

    …Ado monarch wants crackdown on street urchins

    Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has imposed series of new levies on corporate organisations and private business concerns in a bid to generate more revenue into government coffers.

    Speaking at the weekend during his monthly media chat, ‘Meet Your Governor’, which was aired live by the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) and Radio Nigeria Progress 100.5 FM, the governor declared that residents must be ready to make sacrifices to ensure the development of the state.

    He ordered all private nursery, primary and secondary schools in the state to pay N150, 000 each to the state government before resumption by the middle of September.

    He emphasised that the payment of the levy is a precondition for any private school to operate in the state.

    The governor also disclosed that any vehicle parked in unauthorised places would be impounded, while the owner is expected to pay a sum of N10, 000 to retrieve such a vehicle.

    One week before the governor’s pronouncement, the order had been in force, with hundreds of vehicles towed and taken to the premises of Ekiti State Traffic Management Authority (EKSTMA).

    During the media chat, Fayose also disclosed that a sum of N1, 000 would be paid on every cow slaughtered in the state-owned abattoirs.

    Also affected by the imposition of new levies are developers of new buildings throughout the state.

    Although the governor was silent on the amount to be paid by private developers, he however warned, “I will not tolerate a situation in which somebody building a house worth N15 million would find it difficult to pay N20, 000 as tax. That will no longer be tolerated.”

    He also put hoteliers, beer sellers, artisans, sawmillers and other business owners on notice, while urging them to be prepared to make sacrifices for the development of the state.

    He stressed that allocations due to the state from the Federation Account has reduced sharply, disclosing that the state got N2.6 billion for the month of July which could barely pay workers’ salaries.

    In another development, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has expressed concern over the activities of street urchins otherwise known as ‘Area Boys’ and land grabbers in his kingdom.

    While making the appeal on Saturday during the annual Udiroko Festival, the traditional ruler urged the state government and security agencies to clampdown on the suspected criminals in order to allow law-abiding citizens to go about their businesses peacefully.

    Udiroko marks the beginning of a New Year in the Ado Ekiti traditional calendar and is celebrated by indigenes of the communities who paid homage to their king.

    The monarch said: “I am not happy with the activities of these youths; I want to call on our chiefs to be vigilant in all their areas and ensure that their activities are checked. They are not only harassing people, they are taking people’s lands to make money.

    “These Area Boys and Omo Oniles have taken over all corners ofAdo Ekiti and if care is not taken, the situation will get out of hand. Ado Ekiti belongs to everybody and I urge traditional rulers and chiefs to be on the watch and take care of their children.”

    In his address at the event, Fayose assured that no monarch would suffer any form of humiliation under his government, while urging the Ewi to support all the projects being initiated by his government in Ado Ekiti and beyond.