Fayemi Accuses Fayose Of Misappropriating N18b Paris Club Refund
The Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi has accused his predecessor, Mr Ayodele Fayose of allegedly misappropriating a whooping sum of N18 billion Paris club refund that accrued to the state.
Fayemi alleged that the immediate past governor of the state, who owed between four and eight months salary and pension arrears decided to expend the huge amount on other projects rather than defraying the backlog of unpaid workers’ salaries and benefits.
The governor however, said he had not reneged on his promise to offset all the outstanding salary and pension before marking the first year anniversary of his administration in office.
Fayemi spoke in Ado Ekiti while appearing on the December edition of a programme tagged: ‘Meet your Governor’ aired live on some broadcast media in the state.
Dismissing the rumours that he had collected a sum of N11.5 billion Paris Club barely two months he assumed office, Fayemi said, “Let those making the allegation came with verifiable proofs to substantiate their claim. Let them come with evidence.
“I have not collected any money in the fashion of road intervention or paris club refund. Governor Fayose had the opportunity of paying bulk of these backlog of salaries and pensions. He collected a sum of N18b out of the N21.5b due to Ekiti in the fund, so what is left for Ekiti is just N3.5b which can’t pay a month if we add the overhead costs of subvented institutions.
“As we speak, we are doing a lot of cleansing and that had reduced the monthly pay to workers to N2.1b. Those not properly employed had been left out until they provide evidence. The medical workers that were employed on consequential ground had been reabsorbed.’’
In a swift response, Fayose challenged Fayemi to make the records of disbursement of the Paris Club Refund received by the state public, saying there were conditions laid down by the federal governments before the fund was released and states were made to make reports of utilization of first tranche of the refund before the second tranche was released.
Fayose, who spoke through his Media Aide, Mr Lere Olayinka has told Fayemi to use the over N30 billion his government allegedly received from the federal government as refund on federal roads construction, arrears of Budget Support and Paris Club refund to pay workers and stop lying against his predecessor.
