Fayose replies Fayemi: “I inherited N80bn debt from you in 2014”

Exactly 35 days to his leaving office, outgoing Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday says his handover note is ready for the scrutiny of people making enquiries about his government. He said claim that he was leaving behind a debt profile of N117 billion was false.

Rather he said Dr. Kayode Fayemi left behind a debt overhang of over N80 billion by 2014 when Fayose took over. “The debts are broken down as follows: Bank Loans; N15, 831,613,425.62, Bond; N26, 749,796,784.75, Outstanding Warrants; N15, 522,552,900.76, Outstanding to Road Contractors; N21, 286,126,749, Outstanding Remittances to FG; N709, 883,656.75, Outstanding Remittances (State Govt); N592, 995,374.89 and EKSG Public Servants Outstanding Emoluments; N5, 137,888,224.37,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the governor did not cooperate with the Transition Committee set up by Incoming-Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose snubbed the request by the committee, for certain records of his tenure.

He claimed the committee is illegal.

Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, urged the Governor-elect to stop spreading falsehood about him or the finances of his administration.

He described as mere fabrication, the claim that his government had accumulated a debt of N117 billion as against the N18 billion it inherited.

Fayemi was “already preparing excuses for his impending failure at the tribunal”, Fayose said.

Fayose insisted that the State Government under him has no obligation to relate with any committee not empowered by law, stating that the governor-elect should wait for the hand over note that will be handed to him on October 16.

He said it was funny that the same Transition Committee that claimed it did not get any information from the State government estimated the state debt at N117 billion.

He reiterated that his government only received N10 billion grant from the Excess Crude Account, which was released to all states for capital projects as well as Budget Support fund released to states by the Federal Government.

“It is on record that Ekiti State Government was indebted to the tune of N86, 013,689,097 as at October 16, 2014 that Governor Fayose took over.

“The debts are broken down as follows: Bank Loans; N15, 831,613,425.62, Bond; N26, 749,796,784.75, Outstanding Warrants; N15, 522,552,900.76, Outstanding to Road Contractors; N21, 286,126,749, Outstanding Remittances to FG; N709, 883,656.75, Outstanding Remittances (State Govt); N592, 995,374.89 and EKSG Public Servants Outstanding Emoluments; N5, 137,888,224.37,” he said.

The governor counselled Fayemi to face the task of “defending the mandate that he stole and his fraudulent emergence as the APC candidate instead of treading the usual path of deceiving the public to cover up his failure”,