N9.6b bailout fund: Group demands explanations from Fayose

A socio-political group, in Ekiti State, known as Ekiti Youth Vanguard (EYV) has challenged Governor Ayodele Fayose to explain how he spent the N9.6 billion bailout cash approved for the state to offset workers’ salaries, allowances and other entitlements – including pension.

The group said it could not fathom why only teachers were paid September 2014 salary out of N9.6 billion, while other civil servants, former political office holders and pensioners were left out.

In a statement by its Co-ordinator, Mr. Charles Fakunle, the group said it could not understand why civil servants, local government workers, pensioners and former political office holders, who were captured in the bailout scheme, were refused payment as envisaged by the Federal Government.

“It is an irony that Governor Fayose has chosen to shut out the civil servants and former political office holders from benefitting from the bailout funds as he is still owing them arrears of salaries of September 2014, leave bonuses and other allowances, even when they were the reasons he took the loan in the first place,” Fakunle explained.

He added: “We are still at a loss on how September 2014 salary arrears of teachers could be categorised as bailout by Fayose when he actually collected the allocation for that month but refused to pay.

“Let’s even agree that he paid September salary to teachers as bailout, does teachers one month salary amount to N9.6 billion? What is he doing with the balance after paying one month salary? We are also aware that he singled out teachers to be paid not because he loves them as he claimed but because he wants to use them to achieve ends that are less than noble.

“Fayose paid teachers to enable them buy and wear the ankara cloth, which he had already procured through one of his cronies, to carry placards against the nomination of former Governor Kayode Fayemi as a Minister-designate.”

He said inside sources among drivers’ unions had revealed that Fayose had already procured drivers and miscreants to impersonate teachers in ankara uniforms to carry placards with unprintable words against Fayemi, in order to block his confirmation as minister. Teachers should beware of Fayose’s antics and must refuse to be tools in his hands for his evil plot to undo a decent Ekiti son, who is also a pride to the nation.

“Teachers should instead ask Fayose about their full entitlements from the bailout fund rather than being contented with the short end of the stick,” he said.

Fakunle urged workers, pensioners and former political office holders to stand up and ask for their entitlements from the governor who had refused to make public the details of the bailout cash he collected from the Federal Government.

“Fayose has refused to give details of what is contained in the bailout fund, rather he has been playing games with figures complaining that he requested for N29 billion but was only given N9.6b without giving details of what he wanted to spend the money on,” he said, adding:

“We have it on good authority that a major chunk of the bailout fund has been diverted to the construction of the airport project which was not accommodated in the purported 2015 budget Fayose is operating.

“We call on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Debt Management Office (DMO), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related crimes Commission (ICPC) to beam their searchlights on Ekiti State Governor, his Accountant- General and the Finance Commissioner before they short-change Ekiti workers through diversion of funds to private use and phantom airport project.”