Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB),
Senator Bode Ola has described as false, media reports that former
Governor of the State and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr
Kayode Fayemi was cleared of any complicity in the alleged
misappropriation of N852.9 million fund belonging to SUBEB.
Senator Bode Ola told journalists in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, that “From
the content of the committee report being referred to, it is clear
without any ambiguity that financial crime was committed. It was
established that the Ekiti State Government under Dr Kayode Fayemi
fraudulently obtained loan from the Bank and moved the fund out of the
SUBEB account one year after.
“The loan was gotten from the bank without agreement as to interest
rate, terms of payment and no Irrevocable Standing Payment Order
(ISPO).
“How could the said bank that Fayemi collaborated with to defraud
Ekiti and caused the suspension of the State from benefitting from
UBEC funds, have granted loan without first agreeing on interest rate
and terms of payment?
“The money was paid into SUBEB Account in November 2013, while it was
moved out of the account in October 2014 – close to one year after the
money was paid and used to access UBEC matching grant and contracts
awarded.”
Senator Ola disclosed that “the committee, report of which is now
being celebrated just to confuse the public because of the Judicial
Panel of Inquiry set up by the government to investigate the financial
activities of Fayemi’s government, was just for fact finding and not
to indict or exonerate anyone.”
He said the committee was set up so as to enable SUBEB to respond to
UBEC and also remove the embargo placed on Ekiti SUBEB by the UBEC.
The SUBEB Chairman disclosed that “On April 16, 2015, UBEC wrote a
letter to the Ekiti SUBEB in which it said clearly that the action of
the government constituted serious financial crime and also violated
Section 11(2) of the UBE Act 2004 and also went further to threatened
to report to the EFCC if the N852.9 million counterpart fund was not
returned.”
He said “While we do not speak for the State Government, we make bold
to say that assuming but not conceding that the said report actually
exonerated Dr Fayemi, he should rather use it as part of his defense
at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry rather than running to the media to
deceive the public.
“Also, if the committee actually exonerated Dr Fayemi, what then was
the need for him to seek court injunction to stop the Judicial Panel
of Inquiry?
“Most importantly, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry was not set up to
witch-hunt anyone and its terms of reference go beyond the SUBEB
issue.
“Finally, we wish to urge Dr Fayemi and his men to seize the
opportunity of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry to clear their names of
any allegations leveled against them instead of seeking to deceive the
public with false media reports.”
