EKITI State governor Ayo Fayose has been accused by the All Progressives Congress (APC) of carting away money belonging to the state in the tax haven of Dubai where he has gone to observe the Christmas holidays.
Highly controversial, Governor Fayose has been one of President Muhammadu Buhari's fiercest critics and emerged as one of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) main spokesmen lately. Among other things, he has accused the government of reckless spending and borrowing money to finance it projects, while at the same time being selective in its fight against corruption.
Trying to turn the tables on the governor, the Ekiti State chapter of the APC has accused Governor Fayose of stashing cash belonging to the state away in Dubai. According to the APC, it was the height of irresponsibility for the governor to embark on a private visit abroad during Christmas while state workers live in miserable conditions.
Taiwo Olatunbosun, the publicity secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the APC, accused the governor of refusing to pay workers’ salary for three months while embarking on a foreign trip valued at N250m (£844,000). He described Governor Fayose’s trip to Dubai, which he embarked on last Sunday as the height of insensitivity and wickedness by a governor who always called himself the people’s governor.
Mr Olatunbosun, said:“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. 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.
“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 N250m 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."
He added that the trip confirms APC allegations that Governor Fayose is an incorrigible con artist. Claiming that Governor Fayose was dehumanising Ekiti people through anti-people policies, such as heavy taxes that could not be accounted for, Mr Olatunbosun 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 receiving 30% of their annual basic salary as a Christmas bonus.
“Fayose again conned Ekiti workers by paying 10% of their monthly basic salary which translated to about N700 (£2.33) to most workers while he shamelessly boasted that he had paid workers’ bonus,” he said.
Mr Olatunbosun, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to invite the state commissioner for finance, its accountant-general and the auditor-general for interrogation on how the finances of the state were mismanaged. However, dispelling the allegation, the information commissioner Lanre Ogunsuyi, said the APC’s allegations were ludicrous.
Mr Ogunsuyi added: “The governor is on holiday like every other worker who has worked conscientiously throughout the year. It was not an official journey and it means the governor will be responsible for all the expenses because he travelled as Mr Fayose and not as Governor Fayose.
“The APC is talking, having lost all relevance. Every worker in Ekiti has been paid the October salary, unless the party has a different calendar and what is outstanding is November and December salaries and the people could understand the reason behind it."
