Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has told his immediate predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to desist from lying to the public on the actual cost of the Government House that he built with borrowed, saying; “The total contract sum for the Oke Ayoba Government House was N3,389,722,104.59 (N3.38bn) and not N2.1bn as claimed by Fayemi.”
Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a release issued on Monday that it was strange that Fayemi could tell the public that the government house cost N2.1bn, when he authorised the award of additional contracts contracts for the construction on October 10, 2014.”
He disclosed that the contract was initially awarded to Kouris Construction Nig. Ltd on July 27, 2012 for N2,054,573,822.00 (N2.05bn), while additional contract of N730,186,636.87 was awarded on October 10, 2014, six days before the expiration of Fayemi’s administration.
“Apart from the additional contract of N730m, another contract worth N604,961,645.72 for the furnishing of the Government House was awarded Kitwood Nigeria Limited on June 18, 2014, three days to the governorship election that he (Fayemi) lost scandalously.
“If Fayemi and his men lack knowledge of simple arithmetic, we will help by telling them that addition of N2,054,573,822.00, N730,186,636.87 and N604,961,645.72 will be N3,389,722,104.59 (N3.38bn).
“Now we ask, is Fayemi saying that as the governor then, he lost control such that he was not aware that the two additional contracts were awarded on June 18 and October 10, 2014?
“If Fayemi did not authorise the two contracts, shouldn’t he simply ask his Chief of Staff, Yemi Adaramodu, in whose office the contractors signed the contract agreements, instead of going about advertising his ignorance?”
He said if Fayemi could lie on issue as glaring as the construction of the Oke Ayoba Government House, it could be concluded that the former governor lied to Ekiti people for four years, and still lying to them after he was voted out of office.
While maintaining that the Fayose’s government will not be distracted by Fayemi’s new antics of campaigning more than six months after losing election in the entire 16 local councils in the State, Olayinka said; “In saner climes, Fayemi won’t have the effrontery to defend his use of borrowed fund to build government house, pavilion and civic centre, when a life-touching project like the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital was left uncompleted.”
