The Minister of Mines and Steel Development and former Governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode has explained why he is seeking to be elected the Governor of the state on July 14, haven served the state in that capacity between 2010 and 2014. Addressing his teeming supporters during a recent rally held at the premises of St Michael’s Primary School, Ajilosun the Minister said he was leaving Abuja as a Minister to complete his unfinished business in the state.
He said contrary to claims by the Peoples Democratic Party that the All Progressives Congress was dead in the state, it was much alive and would take back power in the coming governorship election. He lamented the non-payment of salary by the current state government and explained what his administration did with the N25 billion loans he took.
“They said APC was dead in Ekiti, but now they know better. Fayose collected bail-out funds, Paris Club refund, took loans and, yet, he refused to pay workers. Today, civil servants are owed salaries of between six and ten months; teachers, local government workers are owed at least six to ten months. Pensioners are being owed. You don’t pay their parents, and you still ask even primary school students to pay.
All the employment and poverty alleviation programmes that we instituted, he cancelled. We had the Social Security Programme for the Elderly under which 25, 000 vulnerable people were paid N5, 000 per month; he cancelled. Our Peace Corps scheme under which 800 youths were employed was scrapped and those youths thrown out of jobs.
Today, besides all the money our friend has collected, he has also borrowed over N56 billion. Yet he doesn’t tell you that.
The special allowances for teachers in rural areas, he stopped. The only thing he does is to abuse President Buhari everyday; yet, Buhari still gives him bailout funds to pay workers. But he doesn’t even pay the workers. The only thing he’s doing is to build a bridge to nowhere. It is only in Ekiti that I’ve seen a governor building a bridge to nowhere”.
On the N25 billion bond taken by his administration, he said the funds were used to resuscitate the moribund Ire Bricks Industry, rebuild Ikogosi Warm Springs, build the 12, 000 capacity Ekiti State Pavillion, construct many verifiable roads across the state, and build a brand new Government House, among other projects. He said he had already repaid about N14 billion of the money before he left power. He regretted that Fayose had abandoned all the projects, noting that Ikogosi had become dilapidated.
