Governor-elect of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has received the final report of the transition committee set up by him on July 25th lamenting that a N117 billion debt profile to be inherited by his government.
Dr Fayemi, who spoke at a ceremony where he received the report from the Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi-led committee, however, promised to make a difference in the life of the people of the state as soon as he is sworn-in to office on October 16.
The transition committee was set up to interface with the outgoing administration with a view to facilitating a smooth change of government.
Dr Fayemi said he would competently steer the ship of the state, saying he was leaving Governor Ayo Fayose and his administration to God over the alleged mismanagement of state funds and resources.
Fayemi was reacting to what the committee said was the latest figure released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) which it said revealed that the debt profile of the state increased from N18 billion Fayose administration allegedly inherited in 2014, to N117 billion.
According to the body, the figure was outside arrears of salaries, pensions, gratuities and money owed contractors by the Fayose administration.
However, the state government described the debt figures released by the committee as “a figment of their imaginations and calculations.”
The Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, who reacted on behalf of the government, said “that figure is a figment of their imaginations and calculations. Ekiti’s debt is what Fayemi is owing plus interest.”
According to Ogunsuyi, “Ekiti’s debt is what the last government is owing plus the cost of rescheduling the debt and interest accrued.”
Speaking on whether the outgoing administration had borrowed money or not, the commissioner said: “Ekiti cannot borrow money because it has to obtain fiat from the Debt Management Office (DMO) and there’s no such letter that has written. So, I don’t think that figure is correct and it is not correct.”
Fayemi suggested the enactment of a “transition act” he said would stipulate the duties of an outgoing administration and an incoming administration to pave the way for seamless transfer of power given the difficulties he said the committee faced and some actions taken by the outgoing government after losing the July 14 governorship election.
Fayemi said: “The chairman (of the committee) talked about liabilities. That is what government is all about: assets and liabilities. Government is a continuum.
“We are not unmindful of the fact that there will be debts but we are focused on our agenda to make a difference in the lives of our people. So for us, we leave whatever that is done by the outgoing government to God and God will handle that in the best way possible.
“We want to focus on making the difference in the life of our people, so our people remain our priority.”
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