The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has debunked the claim by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, that the Conditional Cash Transfer programme is part of his “stomach infrastructure” programme aimed at reducing poverty in Ekiti State.
The APC also accused Fayose of throwing away due process in the award of contracts, saying that he has turned himself into the state’s despotic sole administrator.
“In the past three weeks, Mr Fayose has awarded contracts worth N2 billion without passing through due process,” the APC claimed.
In the statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party described Fayose’s claim of ownership of the CCT as dishonest.
The statement by Olatunbosun said: “The truth of the matter is that the CCT, which is a joint programme of the State Government and the MDGs was initiated by the Kayode Fayemi administration one year ago.
“There were 2,250 beneficiaries in 5 local governments of Ise/Orun, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ilejemeje and Ido/Osi cutting across 450 households of carefully selected vulnerable women.” Olatunbosun said the total money expended on the programme was N375 million out of which Ekiti State under Fayemi, contributed N187.5 million while the Federal Government paid the other half. He said “the programme which is to achieve Universal Primary Education, Gender Equality and women Empowerment, was coordinated by the office of the Special Adviser to Governor Fayemi on MDGs. The first batch of 2,250 received N5,000 monthly for one year and a telephone set with N100,000 after one year to start an agriculture related business.”
The APC said Fayose unilaterally awarded the MDGs contracts worth N1.2 billion and discarded the due process followed in selection of contractors by the Fayemi administration.
The APC alleged that he also single handedly awarded a N200 million contract for the painting of the Governor’s Office to his blood brother, whereas there is no indication that the office needed any urgent face lift at the moment.
The APC observed that while government is a continuum, “we expect Governor Fayose to give credit to his predecessor for starting the CCT programme which he (Fayose) inherited and wanted to continue”.
The APC said it is the height of deceit for Fayose to present the CCT programme to unsuspecting Ekiti State people as one of his stomach infrastructure programme whereas as many as 2,250 women have benefited in the last one year.
The APC said that Fayose has wrongly claimed ownership of another MDG programme, CGS LGA Track, which was put in place by the Fayemi administration, that has paid the state’s counterpart funding.
“The amount involved in this was N1.2 billion contributed by Federal, State and Local Governments for projects in three Local Government Areas yet, Fayose claimed he met no kobo in all government accounts during his inauguration,” the APC stated.
The party said that while Fayose has not only been deceiving Ekiti State people and running his predecessor down daily, he has thrown due process to the dustbin.
The APC said: “Governor Fayose has reduced Ekiti people to his plaything who can be manipulated at will by grand deception that a primary school pupil will not buy. He has been going about telling everyone that he has secured employment for many Ekiti indigenes when in actual fact, they are being employed by consultants employed by such organizations outside Ekiti government.
“We advise Governor Fayose to run an open administration founded on truth and transparency.”
The APC said that Fayose has failed to come out with a clear cut agenda for the development of Ekiti State and the reduction of poverty among the populace other than leading a visionless regime that takes delight in making derogatory pronouncements of stomach infrastructure.
“With almost one month gone, the Fayose administration is still groping in the dark telling people what Fayemi did or did not do while failing to tell the people what he will do to improve their welfare,” the party said.
