…Fayose reacts with clean debt record
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has written to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to place the outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on its watch list and prevent the governor from leaving the country through any land, air or sea borders.
The NCS has granted the request and circulated the EFCC directive to its area and zonal commands, directing that “you are to monitor the suspect and report to the EFCC through the provided contact details if sighted.”
The EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, in a letter dated September 12 to the Customs’ Comptroller General’s office, stated that Fayose was under investigation and there was a suspicion that he might leave the country to evade the commission’s investigations.
Fayose, whose tenure will end on Monday, October 15, had last Monday written to the EFCC chairman, agreeing to report at the EFCC office on October 16 “to clarify issues or answer questions on issues within my knowledge.”
The governor’s letter was titled, “Notification of my decision to make myself available in your office to clarify issues or answer questions on issues within my knowledge” in which he noted that the EFCC was at liberty to pick another date if it was not satisfied with an October 16 appointment.
The EFCC had replied Fayose in a report on Saturday that he could report at the commission’s headquarters on September 20 for questioning, instead of waiting till his immunity lapsed on October 16.
In the letter with a reference number, ‘EFCC/EC/GC/31/2173’, and signed by the EFCC’s Director of Operations, Umar Mohammed, the anti-graft agency asked the governor to be obliged to come to the EFCC before the expiration of his tenure.
It was gathered that the EFCC acting Chairman, Magu, had written to the Customs to place Fayose on its watch list and prevent any attempt by the governor to leave the country through air, land or sea borders.
Magu’s letter with a reference number, CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG/TA/VOL.59 and dated September 12, is titled, “Request for watch-listing of persons, the case of conspiracy, abuse of office, official corruption, theft and money laundering.”
The commission wrote, “The under listed suspect is under investigation in connection with the above-mentioned offences and there is reasonable suspicion suggesting that he may likely leave the country either through the land borders, airports, seaports in order to evade investigation. Hence, you are requested to watch-list and arrest him.
“You are further requested to contact the commission through the following numbers in the event of his arrest. Name of the suspect: Fayose Ayodele Peter, Address: Ekiti State Government House, Ekiti State.”
The NCS in a letter, dated September 14, to its zonal coordinators, Customs area controllers, granted the request.
“Consequently, you are requested to monitor the suspect and report to the EFCC through the provided contact details if sighted,” the NCS letter partly said.
Meanwhile, Fayose, has said that he has not committed the state to any debt either by taking bond or borrowing from any financial institution since he assumed office for the second time on October 16, 2014. till date.
He therefore challenged anyone, financial institution or the Debt Management Office (DMO) and his accuser, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to publish any debt he owed on behalf of the state since he assumed office.
Fayose who stated this on Sunday in reaction to allegation by the Transition Committee set up by the APC Governor-elect, John Kayode Fayemi, claiming that the state’s debt profile according to the data they allegedly obtained from the DMO currently stands at N117 billion, dismissed such claims as : “cheap blackmail and lies from the out of hell ”
He said: ” I have not committed Ekiti to one Naira since I assumed office as governor for the second term. I haven’t borrowed from any financial institutions. The Debt Management Office (DMO) and the Federal Ministry of Finance are the approving authority.
“Fayemi should publish any document from these approving authorities showing any money borrowed by my administration. I did not borrow take any bond or borrow from any financial bank. The figure which Fayemi is talking about is the money his administration borrowed which was restructured as it was done for other states.
“The administration of Fayemi brought Ekiti to N25 billion bond and N32 billion commercial loan and the state will pay the bond until year 2022. The commercial loan was restructured like it was done for other states,” he claimed.
“In my first tenure, I left N10.4 billion in the covers of government but I started this administration on October 16, 2014 meeting huge debt incurred by my predecessor, John Kayode Fayemi.”
The Governor also justified the purchase of a new vehicle for himself and approval of the severance packages of his deputy and himself, saying “When Fayemi was leaving as governor in 2014, he left with a car which he bought for himself and so did other governors before him. So, you can’t expect me also not to have a befitting car when I am leaving office. Fayemi is only displaying hypocrisy.
“Fayemi himself ordered a Jeep of almost N7 million for me when l was still Governor-elect in 2014, but he didn’t pay for it. I had also bought a Jeep for former Governor Niyi Adebayo to honour him. That is how it is done every four years.
“If Fayemi’s government wants to probe me, I will present myself and would not behave like a coward like he did. I have served Ekiti, l have given my best. Relevant documents will be handled over to the in-coming administration at the appropriate time,” he assured.
Governor Fayose blamed his inability to off set workers’ outstanding salaries on the Federal Government’s alleged deliberate refusal to pay debts it owed Ekiti.
“If the Federal Government (FG) has paid all outstanding it is owing Ekiti, l would not be owing any salary now. The FG is owing Ekiti budget support of two months now, the Paris refund was withheld and they have refused to also pay the refund of N11 billion for the Federal Roads which the state did.
“If the FG had paid these outstandings, I wouldn’t be owing Ekiti workers any salaries now. Deliberately, the FG withheld them so that I am not able to offset the four months workers salaries before Ekiti election. Still, Ekiti people voted for PDP.
“The FG recently paid Osun State over N16 billion but deliberately refused to pay Ekiti its own. They are waiting for when Fayemi will be sworn in and pay him. That is okay with me as long as the ordinary Ekiti man benefit from it. Ekiti owns the money.”
