Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is not surprised by the huge debts left behind by the administration of former Governor Kayode Fayemi, saying such has become the trait of All Progressives Congress-led governments in the state.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday by the State Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, the PDP drew the attention of the people of the state to what Fayemi’s godfather, Niyi Adebayo, did when he also left office in 2003.
According to the PDP, Adebayo also left debts running to billions of naira when Governor Ayo Fayose took over from him in 2003.
“The facts are there for all to see and the people of the state saw what Otunba Niyi Adebayo did and what his APC fellow, Kayode Fayemi also did. Adebayo took about N5 billion loan from the capital market and left workers in the state with backlog of salary arrears running to 16 months in some cases.
“His godson also came, followed the same line of the biblical prodigal son, took loans from capital market and other undisclosed sources, left state workers reeling under the yoke of unpaid salaries. In fact, Fayemi only came to repeat history as far as plunging the state into debts is concerned.
“He went further than his forebear in APC by mortgaging the future of the state because of projects that have no economic values whereas, in the history of the state, PDP-led governments have always left the state in healthy financial condition.
“We laughed when he came up with his feeble defence that he only left over N36 billion debts. He deliberately failed to mention commitments as far as workers’ salaries are concerned, he even lied that he only owed September salary, when did he pay that of August and July deductions that they squandered?
“We thank God for the life of our governor, Dr Ayo Fayose, who God used to uproot the evil APC governments in 2003 and 2014. It was Fayose who cleaned the mess the other time and he will, by God’s grace, do same this time around,” the party said.
The PDP urged Fayose to ensure that Fayemi and his team explained to the people of the state why they left such a huge hole in the financial books of Ekiti State.
“While we, in the PDP, have always known that Fayemi was only pretending to be a lover of Ekiti people, we are therefore not taken unawares by the revelations trailing his government, it is pertinent that he be made to come to the public and explain how he handled the finances of the state to the point of leaving such a huge debt profile.
“He not only left a huge debt profile, he also succeeded in mortgaging the economic future of the state. Or what can one call the situation where banks have rights to deduct money from statutory allocations of the state till 2020?
“Fayemi and his All Progressives Congress put every foot wrong by their actions. In a state like ours, which is agrarian, nearly N4 billion was spent by the Fayemi government on the planting of flowers in Ado-Ekiti, while farmers were left to their fate. We can all see how terribly that project ended.
“They told Ekiti people that they only took N25 billion from the capital market to execute projects that have no economic value or multiplier effects on the economy, yet they failed to disclose the numerous loans they took from various banks in numerous under the table deals.
“Their utter disregard for sound economic reasoning and judgment also manifested barely four days to the end of their tenure, when they attempted to take another loan of N1 billion from a commercial bank to pay severance allowances for political appointees.
“Apart from stating their defence for discerning Ekiti people to judge, we don’t want a situation where they will begin to say they are being persecuted by the new government.
“We know that their stock in trade is propaganda and they have ready-made tools to use in some places, but the issue at hand is basic and crucial to the growth and development of the state. For without money, the new administration may not be able to deliver on its promises,” the party added.
