The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has slammed Governor Ayodele Fayose’s attempt to demonise fellow governors contemplating pay cuts for their workers over the failing health of the economy.
It said the messianic posturing by Fayose who has urged his fellow governors to cut overseas trips and shun opulence instead of cutting workers’ pay was the height of hypocrisy by the governor and fraud on Nigerian workers.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement on Sunday that Fayose was mischievous in his pro-workers stances, noting that the governor is the most guilty of what he was advising his fellow governors to shun to enable them pay their workers.
He said: “Fayose is mischievous in his pro-workers posturing. This is a man that travels every month end to South Africa and Dubai after collecting federal allocations even when records show that Ekiti has no bilateral pact with these countries.
“This is the governor that sacked many permanent secretaries and other categories of workers. He is the first and only governor that cut the salaries and allowances of the few political office holders he appointed in breach of the law and also cut allowances to civil servants but increased his personal security vote from N150m to N250m but refuses to fund security agencies, thus leading to unprecedented crimes in Ekiti State. Under his watch, Ekiti became the kidnapping capital of the South West.
“The governor asking fellow governors to shun opulence is the only governor in Nigeria going about with outriders on BMW superbikes, each costing millions of naira while exotic cars are the choice for his long convoys. He recently by fiat, sold his old 1965 model Mercedes-Benz with current market value of about two hundred and fifty thousand naira (N250,000) to the State government at a whopping N15 million.
“Recently, his jobless sons abroad were captured in pictures celebrating the purchase of their road machines, N48 million 2015 Range Rover jeeps, yet back home he armed productive youths as thugs and sent packing thousands of youths engaged in empowerment schemes by former Governor Kayode Fayemi.”
Olatunbosun also accused the governor of weekly importation of female guests from South Africa and Ghana to all-night parties in the Government House, saying that an anti-opulent governor would not indulge in such excesses while refusing to pay workers their entitlements.
He said Fayose buys up full pages of advert in newspapers daily costing millions of taxpayers’ money, to abuse the President, yet he cannot pay workers’ salary.
The statement said: “Fayose dribbled the workers to no end in the misapplication of the bail-out cash. Up till now, many teachers, local government workers and past political office holders have not been paid even though their entitlements were captured in the bailout demand to the Federal Government. Fayose owes certain category of Ekiti workers three months salary while others are owed four months.”
Olatunbosun also accused the governor of fraud in his claim to budget transparency honour award by a civil society group, Civil Resource Development Documentation Centre, which declared Ekiti State as the most transparent in budget planning and implementation.
Noting that former Dr. Kayode Fayemi was the governor that won the honour under reference, Olatunbosun said: “We are shocked that Fayose has taken his fraudulent practice beyond the corners of his government to defraud other organisations carrying out what would have helped to check fraud in the country. Fayose’s one man budget illegally passed by a 7-member illegitimate House of Assembly could not have been endorsed by a serious organisation like CIRDDOC.
“Let us thank God that CIRDDOC stated clearly in its report that it obtained its data between July and December 2014. The result was the outcome of budget planning and implementation for 2014 by Governor Fayemi. Fayose did not prepare that budget, neither did he implement it.
“The budget for the period between July and December 2014 was prepared by Fayemi and he ran that budget from January till October 2014 before Fayose took over as governor.
“Fayemi visited all the 177 towns and villages in 2013 to seek people’s inputs into 2014 budget. It was the people who chose the projects they wanted in the budget and that is one of the criteria set by CIRDDOC in giving the award. Fayemi did it faithfully between 2011 and 2013 while Fayose’s approach to budget planning and implementation is a one-man show in the corner of his room and the budget that was discountenanced by Fayose who embarked on the construction of an Airport not captured therein, or the dualisation of his Afao Ekiti town, could never have been applauded by such transparent organisation.
“The result of Fayemi’s initiative is what CIRDDOC released to the public praising Ekiti State for budget transparency and we wonder why a man noted for direct opposite of what Fayemi stands for is the one now claiming credit for Fayemi’s achievement.
“Nigerians will understand what we are talking about when the EFCC beams its searchlight on Fayose’s activities in Ekiti State. The few projects Fayose embarked upon are those that would make him loot Ekiti State treasury rather than being beneficial to the people whom he has deceived for a long time.”
Olatunbosun He expressed surprise at the eulogy of Fayose by Chief Afe Babalola on the budget transparency honour, saying he expected the respected elder statesman to give honour to whom it is due instead of endorsing Fayose’s behaviour that was clearly a fraud.