Group Writes Fayemi on  Alleged Looting of Ekiti, Calls for Probe

• They are hypocrites, Fayose’s aide replies

By  Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

A group of elite in Ekiti State, Ado Integrity group,  has urged the governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to  upon assumption of office, set up a panel  to probe how Governor  Ayodele Fayose and his aides had allegedly been looting the state at the expiration of their tenure.

The group’s chairman, Dr. Sikiru Eniola, in a letter  dated September 14 and addressed to the incoming governor, revealed that some governor’s  aides had allegedly  sold about 30 luxury vehicles worth over N660 million  to themselves at ridiculously low prices.

Eniola  stated that dependable source had revealed that the vehicles, which were mainly the 2017 editions of Toyota Camry, were purchased by the state government for N22 million each and were allegedly allocated to the governor’s close aides, as their official vehicles at the beginning of the year.

But Governor Fayose had consistently clarified that he had not  at any time converted government property for personal use since he came on board in 2014, saying he had  always been cautious of his action and undertook some of his policies with the fear of God.

To this end, the governor on Wednesday, September 12  wrote a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), promising to appear before it on October 16 to clear grounds on how he ran Ekiti’s affairs.

Lodging complaints about the alleged looting of the state’s commonwealth, Eniola said: “They sell the cars to the “highest bidders” among themselves, for as low as N500.000 – N700.000.

“In some cases, they even use civil servants to bid for the vehicles and transfer to themselves,” the group said.

 The group advised the incoming administration to ensure the recovery of all the stolen properties and prosecute those involved in the mass looting spree.

It said:  “We, members of the Ado Ekiti Integrity group of the National Ado-Ekiti Progressive Union, have issued the same alert to the people of Ekiti and especially the Transition Committee.

“It is despicable that a state governor who is leaving office is looting government properties. This is the height of impunity and roguery. A proper audit of government properties should be done immediately after the swearing-in of the new governor.

“This is not an issue that can be treated with levity. It is a crime of a notorious dimension and those who are putting their monies into stolen properties should have themselves to blame as they won’t only lose their monies, they shall also be subjected to prosecution.”

Reacting to how those sympathetic to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been upbraiding Fayose in recent time, the governor’s  Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, described the opposition as being allegedly  hypocritical with the way they have been  condemning  the governor.

Olayinka added that the hypocritical stands of the APC people led to the condemnation of the N10 billion supplementary budget sent to the Assembly by the governor 35 days to the expiration of his tenure.

“On September 15, 2014 (one month to the end of Fayemi’s tenure), the APC controlled House of Assembly passed a N9.4bn Supplementary Budget and Fayemi signed the budget the same day.

“Today,  the same Fayemi and his APC people are ranting over Governor Fayose’s  presentation of N10bn Supplementary Budget to the House of Assembly for passage.

“When Fayemi got the House of Assembly to pass N9.4bn Supplementary Budget 30 days to the expiration of his tenure, it was right.  But now that Fayose has also gotten the House of Assembly to pass N10bn Supplementary Budget 32 days to the end of his tenure,  the same Fayemi is ranting.

“Discerning minds can always see the hypocrisy of the APC. They see themselves as angel if when they are not,” he said.