Ekiti State Governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo, yesterday locked horns over the debt profile of the state.
Fayose had expressed con­cern over the state’s debt pro­file, while setting up a nine-man transition committee to do underground work for his smooth takeoff on October 16.
He described the debt pro­file of the state under Governor Kayode Fayemi, as worri­some.
Fayose also warned those with political ambition in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 against name-dropping, saying nobody in the party had been chosen for any appointment, except two people he promised to give on concessional grounds.
Inaugurating the committee at the Spotless Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, Fayose regretted that Fayemi’s government had al­legedly plunged the state into huge debt to the extent that members of the public would have to be sensitised about the situation on ground, because of high expectations from his soon-to-be-sworn-in govern­ment.
He warned the members of the committee against turn­ing their positions into political appointments, saying: “You are to work with the govern­ment team when it is consti­tuted for fact-finding mission about the state of things in the state.”
Fayose advised the commit­tee not to use the opportunity to fight the state government, say­ing: “I want to plead with you not to make this a fight. You just have to get the facts and let the people be aware of the situ­ation on ground.”
He said only those with grassroots connection would be fielded for future elections in PDP, warning whoever had political ambition to desist from using his name to intimi­date other interested members.
Expressing worry on the state’s debt profile, Fayose said: “The current govern­ment of Governor Fayemi has plunged Ekiti into huge debt and our money is being de­ducted from source. Available records showed that Fayemi had taken N25 billion loan and only N8 billion had been paid back. This is very disturbing and worrisome.
“They are also diverting the money for salaries to pay con­tractors that had not been on ground in the last one year, so that they can incur huge debt, just for Fayose not to have a smooth sail.
“When I left government, I left N10.4 billion in the cof­fers apart from the fact that we did well. But today, we are in­heriting debt. I have to let our people know because of the expectations in town because Ekiti situation is not promis­ing at all because there is no magic to perform when there is no money. “But the APC must realise that they will still need these Ekiti people they are try­ing to punish again and it will be wrong to toy with their fu­ture. So, I plead with Fayemi to pay the salaries of workers.”
Reacting to Fayose’s views on the state’s debt profile, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Ekundayo, who advised the governor-elect to stop throw­ing jibes at the government and wait until he took over from Fayemi before making policy statements, said N13 billion had been paid out of the bond taken by the government.
Ekundayo said the govern­ment had not taken another loan apart from the N25 billion that was borrowed from the capital market.
He said: “Does Fayose have the account of the state? We have never hidden anything from the people. He is a gover­nor-elect and he must not jump the gun. He cannot be com­menting on an issue he has no record about. It is like the man is eager and he must stop mak­ing comments until he takes over to be able to ask about the finances of the state.”
Members of the transition committee include Chief Dipo Anisulowo (Chairman), Mrs Modupe Alade (Secretary), Pastor Kola Oluwawole, Owo­seeni Ajayi, Revd. Wale Ko­molafe, Mr. Biodun Alasoluyi, Mr. Benjamin Komolafe, Mr. Seye Alade and Mr. Dayo Ajayi.

Ekiti debt: Fayose, commissioner in war of words