A former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, has described the planned Ekiti State’s N17billion airport project as a conduit for Governor Ayodele Fayose to loot the treasury.
The All Progressives Congress chief, who had indicated interest in the 2018 governorship election, wondered where the governor got the courage to embark on the project while always complaining about the debt profile of the state.
At a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Friday, Bamisile also berated Fayose for allegedly raising the debt profile of the state at various fora to smear his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
He said, “What we have now is unfortunate. It is clear that Ekiti owes N18.8b courtesy of what came from Debt Management Office. It is a sign that the present government has lost figure or is looking for a way to inflate the figure.”
The former speaker also asked the governor to stop complaining about the N9.6billion bailout loan approved for the state by the Federal Government to settle arrears of workers.
“We are not surprised about the amount released to Ekiti because we have small work force but the amount is enough to settle the deficit. Eleven months were owed in Plateau and the governor has paid. We are surprised our governor has not paid.”
Challenging the governor to prove him wrong, he alleged that the governor had stashed the bailout in a first generation bank instead of paying workers in the state.
“We would appeal to the governor to know that the same people he is holding their funds back are the same people that voted him some months back.
“The governor has repeatedly said the state was owing. I’m wondering why he is embarking on a N17billion project. We have an airport in Akure which is 45 km away. What economic value would it have for the state.
“Has the government given out the project? Did Fayose follow the laid down rules? Where is the tender and where was it advertised?
“I see it as a conduit for him to take money out of the state. As a former speaker, I want the governor to tell us the legislative processes that have taken place since he announced the airport project. Is it the state government that clears a contract awarded to another company? Is it a direct labour?”
The Ekiti State Government on Friday began the clearing of 4,000 hectares of land for the effective take-off of the airport project, which was approved by the late Umaru Musa Y ‘Adua’s administration in 2009.
Ekiti State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Kayode Oso, who supervised the clearing of the site on Friday disclosed that the governor had already set up a planning committee for the project.
He added that the committee had consulted widely with relevant consultancy firms and professionals on the project and also visited several airports in the country for assessment.
(Punch)
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