Ekiti State Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has
slammed Governor Ayo Fayose of the state for allegedly diverting funds
meant to pay pensioners and workers in the state.
Reacting to a report by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), which indicted the Fayose government for allegedly diverting
N680 million bailout fund, the CNPP described the alleged diversion as
“callous and greedy”.
A statement yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, by CNPP’s
Director of Publicity, Kunle Omotayo, said 16 political parties in the
state met and regretted that pensioners and workers were owed several
arrears after the state had received intervention funds from the Federal
Government.
He said in a terse statement that “For the first time in the history
of Ekiti State, workers have turned petty thieves, stealing pots of soup
and some stealing farm produce to stay alive, while several others have
become beggars before they can make ends meet…”
However, the Commissioner for Information Lanre Ogunsuyi dismissed
the allegation, saying it was a “figment of imagination of those
peddling it”.
He described the Fayose administration as “the most transparent in the history of Ekiti.”
Ogunsuyi challenged any person or group with evidence of the alleged diversion to come out with same or forever keep silent.
He said: “I sympathise with those celebrating what the EFCC has done;
it is quite unfortunate. Ekiti is in a difficult financial situation
because of the repayment of loans obtained by Fayemi administration. We
have repaid N40 billion in the last 36 months, deducted at N1.2 billion
per month.
“The allegations of treasury looting and financial mismanagement
being peddled by some mischievous individuals and groups only exist in
their imagination. Let them bring concrete evidence or keep silent
forever.”