Fayose plans to use N22bn loan for presidential ambition, CNPP alleges

They are talking nonsense – Fayose

The Ekiti State chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has raised the alarm over fresh bid by Governor Ayo Fayose to borrow another N22b from the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission “that will compound the state’s debt burden.”

The CNPP scoffed at the suggestion, warning against plunging the state into “suffocating debts for selfish interest”, as it further accused Fayose of plan to use the money for his Political ambition.

It added that, Fayose should rather allow the incoming government to execute whatever project it might want to use it for if he does not have any hiding agenda over the money.

While urging the commission to reject the Fayose’s application, based on argument that the governor has not been able to explain how he spent about N50b loan he has taken so far in the last three years to reflect in projects implementation and improved living conditions of Ekiti people.

But Fayose who spoke through his commissioner, Lanre Ogunsuyi described this as “Balderdash, arrant nonsense and not worthy of reply,” adding that “the budget support, the bailout are financial measures, to enable government meet its obligations to its citizenry. Anticipatory, projectile criticism is speculative, and not worthy of attention.

“We as government have not taken any loan since we came on board. Where were this CNPP when Fayemi took all the spurious loans and bonds that wrecked our economy? Fayose had told the officials of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission during their recent visit to Ekiti State that his administration would approach the commission to source loan for some capital projects, including Ire Burnt Bricks Company, Ipole Iloro Water Fall, and Ikogosi Bottling Company, among others.”

In a statement after its monthly meeting on Wednesday the meeting attended by 16 parties including kowa, ADC, ACD , AD, APC UDP ,NCP among others and jointly signed by the Public Relations Officer, Ayo Adelabu, and the chairman, Comrade Tunji Ogunlola, the group criticised Fayose’s preference for “reckless loan-taking” instead of spending several loans he had taken so far judiciously to make meaningful impacts in the state’s infrastructure development and social conditions of the people.

Noting that Fayose cannot explain how he had spent about N50b loans he had taken so far to the people in projects implementation, salaries and pensions payments, including gratuity payments, the conference said it was unwise to take another loan to compound the state’s economic burden, including plunging the state into a zero allocation burden after deductions of the loans taken so far from source.

Describing Fayose’s plan to spend the proposed loan on tourism and regenerative projects as hypocritical, the group explained that the administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi invested heavily on those projects, but which Fayose intentionally left to rot away.

Appealing to the commission not to grant the loan to help the governor put Ekiti State into unnecessary debt burden “for selfish motives”, the statement explained.

“Fayose abandoned revenue generating projects, such as Ikogosi Warm Springs, the Civic Centre, Ire Burnt Bricks and Ekitiparapo Pavilion, which roof was blown off and the structure is left in such decay since two years ago.

“Fayose has a history of illegal diversion of Ekiti money as can be explained in the poultry project cash still being prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti.

“He diverted the two tranches of bailout totaling about N20b and refused to spend part of the money to pay salaries, pensions and severance package of former political office holders as agreed in the bailout protocol.

“Without the knowledge of workers and Ekiti people, Governor Fayose secretly took a monthly loan of N1.3b for 10 months as Budget Support Facility totaling N13b to pay workers salaries but diverted the entire money to flyover and new market projects in which he allegedly had interest.

“With this background, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the governor will also divert the fresh N22b he wants to borrow from Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, particularly as that action is coming at the end of his tenure as governor.”

The conference also accused the governor of alleged fraudulent upward reviews of the flyover cost four times from the initial N5.9b to the latest figure of about N14.5b on a project that can’t generate revenue, arguing that such money could have been spent on revenue-generating projects, such as Ikogosi Resort, Ire Burnt Bricks, the abandoned civic centre and Ekiti parapo Pavilion.

“Fayose’s proposal to spend money on Ipole Iloro waterfalls and developing other tourism projects is hypocritical having neglected the main Ikogosi tourist project, which had started generating revenue before his predecessor left office.

“Fayose has a history of profligacy and he is on record to have been involved in many graft cases, one of which is the N1.3 billion poultry project in which he is still standing trial while he is also under investigation over about N4billion traced to his account suspected to be part of Dasukigate arms scandal.

The CNPP however commended President Buhari’s improvement in the nation’s economy, urging him to continue to sustain this.

Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti