APC, Ekiti disagree over receipt of ecological fund

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has challenged the state governor, Ayodele Fayose to explain to the people how he spent the ecological fund paid into the kitty of the state last December by the Federal Government. 

   The party noted that even though the governor had tried on many occasions to deny it, facts available suggested that he had actually collected the money, saying the governor should tell the people how he spent the cash.

    But Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi has described the allegation as a product of a twisted mind and unashamedly advertisement of ignorance 

   He said ecological fund, just like every other fund that accrue to Government is not an under the table matter, once it is given out, it will be advertised on the dailies by the dispensing authority

   The APC in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, explained that available facts suggested that N10 billion ecological fund was released to five states among which was Ekiti State. 

    His words: “We want to challenge Governor Fayose to tell Ekiti people how he spent the N2billion Ekiti ecological fund he collected on December 30, 2014. On that day, N10 billion was released to five states, among which are Bauchi and Ekiti states that collected N2 billion each. 

    “Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, has already told the people of his state the projects to be executed with the money‎. Instead of Governor Fayose to do the same, immediately he collected the money, he jetted out to Dubai for days without any indication that he had gone there officially on behalf of Ekiti people.

  “It was later that Ekiti people learnt about the lavish lifestyle of the governor in the galleries of highbrow hotels and merry-making centres in the bustling economic hub of the Middle East.” 

     Olatubosun said denying ever collecting the ecological fund on state television was no longer tenable in the face of incontrovertible evidence that the governor actually collected the money‎, including the refunds of money Governor Kayode Fayemi spent on federal projects in the state.

     “Governor Fayose denied ever collecting refunds of the money Governor Fayemi‎ spent of federal projects in the state. Four days after Fayose made this denial on the state television, the Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said publicly at President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti that the Federal Government had refunded money spent on the federal projects executed by Ekiti State government, including Ado-Ifaki and Ado-Akure roads,” Olatubosun explained, adding that APC later learnt that Adeyeye was scolded for making that public disclosure. 

   The APC spokesman said it is an act of callousness for the governor to have that huge capital without any plan to tell the people how he wants to spend the money for the development of the state. He added that it is sheer act of wickedness and insensitive to continue to owe workers their salary after collecting September allocation and other refunds running into billions without consideration for the payment of workers’ salary arrears.

     “The governor cannot be brazenly telling the workers that he won’t pay September salary because he was not the governor in September.