Ekiti APC, Fayose trade words over refunds for federal projects

THE All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekiti State Chapter, yesterday accused the state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, of being economical with the truth about the refunds it has received so far from the Federal Government.

The party, however, tasked Fayose to explain how he spent the N22 billion refund on federal projects executed by his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi.

Though the state government had on Wednesday insisted that it has not received any refund fund from the Federal Government, it however disclosed that it is expecting to collect N12.2 billion from the Federal Government being money spent on federal roads.

A statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, also faulted the governor’s claims on the cost per kilometre of roads constructed by Fayemi, saying‎ the former governor engaged contractors with the lowest cost without compromising the quality of the roads.

While also tasking the governor to explain how he spent the N2 billion ecological funds he collected from the Federal Government, the party said there was no truth in Fayose’s claim that the contractor paid for the dualisation of Ado-Ikere-Ondo State boundary abandoned the job.

“It was Fayose who cancelled the contract and directed the contractor to use the money he collected to do some roads in Bawa Estate area of Ado-Ekiti. Who does not know that Ado-Ikere-Ondo road boundary construction is costlier than Bawa Estate road? But the governor has not told Ekiti people the contract variation cost he collected from the contractor and the remaining was diverted to Afao-Ekiti, his town,” Olatubosun said.

He added: ‘His claim that Fayemi’s cost of road per kilometre is expensive is not only false but also ridiculous. The truth of the matter is that the cost of the roads per kilometre awarded by Fayemi’s government is the cheapest in the country even cheaper than the then PDP-controlled Federal Government cost. ‘It is an afterthought and diversionary for Fayose to now claim that the Federal Government did not approve federal roads constructed by the state and so no refund. This is better told to the marines.

Olatubosun said the party had been vindicated by the new revelation that Ekiti State is not on the list of states being owed by the Federal Government, stating that denying ever collecting refunds on federal projects executed by the state government was no longer tenable in the face of conspicuous missing of Ekiti State on the list of the states to which the Federal Government was indebted.‎

The APC spokesman challenged the governor to explain why he was part of the alleged ‘January ‎rush’ acquisition of prime property in Dubai a week after collecting the money.

“Up till now, the governor has not shown Ekiti people his development programme. All he has been saying is about debts. Nobody knows anything about his assets, as he has refused to declare his assets against the law”, Olatubosun said.