The Ekiti chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on state governor Ayodele Fayose to explain to workers how he spent bailout funds given to it by the federal government.
Reacting to Fayose’s allegation that the FG refused to give Ekiti budget support fund in January, the APC in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, on Wednesday accused the governor of alleged breach of agreement he signed with the Federal Government to enjoy the facility.
The party said, “All the states that are enjoying the budget support funds to enable them pay workers’ salaries signed an agreement to allow the Federal Government monitor and audit the disbursement of this special fund, which is different from statutory monthly allocation from the Federation Account, for salary payment.
“While other states have kept to the agreement, Fayose asked his Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, to write to the Federal Government that the state would never open its accounts to the Federal Government for monitoring and auditing and it is only Ekiti governor that is breaching that agreement to qualify for the Budget Support Fund.
“Curiously, Fayose never told Ekiti workers that the state was enjoying this facility until it was stopped over breach of agreement and now he is crying that the state’s allocation was stopped for political reasons, whereas it is the budget support fund that might have been stopped and not the monthly statutory allocation,” he explained.
Olatunbosun added that even though Fayose had been collecting N1.3b every month in the last nine months as budget support fund to pay salaries, he never told workers that he was benefiting from the scheme, as workers were being owed seven months salary, but only to “fraudulently” turn around to deceive the people that Ekiti allocation was stopped by the Federal Government for political reasons.
He said: “Fayose administration’s fraudulent manner in conducting government business is responsible for the hardship workers are going through today. How could the workers have known that Fayose had been cruising home with N1.3b monthly which he has not accounted for?
“He is the only governor that disallowed the Federal Government from monitoring and auditing the disbursement of Budget Support fund as agreed with the Federal Government, the same way he is the only governor in the country who has refused to implement the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system; all these to enable him misappropriate Ekiti money without trace.
“We can see that in the secrecy surrounding the balances in the state’s internally generated revenue account, which no one knows anything about, and misappropriation of about N20b bailout he collected to pay salaries.
“The budget support is not a national cake for Fayose to be putting in his personal account so there is no way the Federal government can fold its arms and watch Ekiti workers suffer why Fayose continue to divert money meant for their salary to his private pocket. The welfare of workers is paramount to the Buhari led administration and that’s why he has released such huge amount to Fayose who has diverted the money. This may have been responsible for the Federal government withholding the special fund.
“Ekiti people, especially workers, should ask Fayose what he has done with N20b bailout he collected in two tranches, including the N10b he borrowed for capital projects which he has diverted through his contractors, N2b micro credit scheme which he allegedly pocketed, N2b Ecological Fund he can’t account for, N5b refund on roads and regular monthly allocation in the last 28 months that he has been in the saddle.
“Is the allocation of one month, which Fayose claimed was stopped, also responsible for non-payment of seven months salary of workers and nine months for pensioners after collecting N20b bailout and N1.3b Budget Support cash for nine months?”
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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