* You wasted N16.7b IGR, PDP replies
Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 14 poll and former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has criticised Governor Ayodele Fayose for allegedly crippling higher education in the state through gross underfunding.
In a statement by the Media Director, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, Fayemi criticised Fayose for not making a word of encouragement to those brilliant young men and women, who created that unprecedented record in academic performance in the university at the convocation ceremony of the Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.
Debunking the claim, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asked Fayemi to account for the N16.7 billion his administration under him declared as Internally generated revenue (IGR) from 2010 to 2014.
PDP said this has become necessary since Fayemi said his administration was raking in an average of N600 million monthly as IGR and which totals N7.2 billion yearly, while the figures his administration gave to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation among others did not tally with Fayemi’s claim.
Fayemi said: “Again, Governor Fayose displayed his contempt for academic excellence today when he attended EKSU graduation ceremony where 47 graduates made First Class without volunteering words of praise for those brilliant fresh graduates.
“He would not also comment on the efforts of the lecturers that produced that wonderful performance, instead, he kept tasking and taxing those awarded with honourary degrees to contribute for the development of the university.
“Neither did the governor say anything on the various demands by the authority, staff and students of the university on how to improve academic environment and quality of learning.
“In climes where leaders cherish education and brilliant performance, besides praising those bright young graduates for their record performance, they will be honoured to encourage other students coming after them for better performance.”
The statement also condemned Fayose for declaring that he came to the graduation ceremony mainly because his wife and the wife of the Deputy Governor Olusola Eleka were graduating in Guidance and Counselling.
“Why will a governor declare in an academic community that he was at a graduation ceremony in an institution where he is the Visitor just because his wife is graduating from that university?
“Government’s activities should not be promoted or be more pronounced on the streets alone for selfish political advantage while neglecting critical academic environment where young men and women are baked to shape humanity.â€
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday through the PDP state Chairman, Mr Gboyega Oguntuase, the party said: “Records in the above offices show that in 2011, the IGR of the state was N2.5 billion which translated to about N207 million monthly.
“Leaving a balance of N4.7 billion going by Fayemi’s claim. In 2012, it was N3.8 billion which meant it was an average of N306 million monthly and that was the highest figure his administration recorded. It also left a balance of N3.4 billion.
“In 2013, it was N2.3 billion an average of N198 million monthly and it left a balance of N4.9 billion. In 2014, it was N3.5 billion an average of N299 million monthly. It left a balance of N3.7 billion.
The total balance yet unaccounted for going by Fayemi’s claim is N16.7 billion in four years. The figures for 2012 and 2014 were high because that was when he got the first and second tranche of the N25 billion he borrowed from the Capital Market.
“Since Fayemi is claiming that he raised the IGR to N600 million monthly which should be about N7.2 billion in a year, it means his administration underdeclared its IGR and he should tell Ekiti people were the remaining funds are. For instance, in 2012, when he recorded the highest figure of N3.8 billion, it meant the sum of N3.4 billion did not reflect.
“Logically, it means that Fayemi under declared the revenue coming to the state. He has many questions to answer from the good people of the state who want to know how their commonwealth is spent. Apart from squandering the bogus allocations, excess crude oil money, grants, other numerous releases, loans obtained from the Capital Market and commercial banks, Fayemi also misappropriated the IGR,” he said.
