Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has again faulted the claims by the Federal Government that it has technically the Boko Haram terror group have been technically defeated and that it had begun a clampdown on perpetrators of the Southern Kaduna massacres.
Fayose said while addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday that the upsurge in the attacks of the terrorists meant that the Federal Government was not telling the nation the whole truth about the fight against the insurgents.
Fayose said: “I do not want to be seen as an opposition figure, but a man who tells Nigerians the truth. You can place my predictions, comments and warnings side by side with happenings in the country and you would know I tell the truth and I do not mince words.
“Look at the Boko Haram issue. The Federal Government first said they have “technically defeated” the group, later they brought a flag to the president, saying Boko Haram has been utterly defeated. But look at what we are witnessing now. In as much as they are making some efforts, they are not telling us the truth.
“I can’t join them to lie. I say the truth and stand by it. Over 1,000 people have been killed in Southern Kaduna, but what are they telling Nigerians? It is a pity that the military has been drafted into the lying game. They too are no longer saying the truth. If you look at the video clips sent from Southern Kaduna before the military clamped down on sending such videos out, you will know that we have a terrible situation on our hand.
“Hunger is unprecedented in the land. The economy is down and people are hiding under the guise of fighting corruption to hunt opposition figures. A government that can not make any impression in the first two years, I am afraid, may not be able to make any at all.”
Speaking on what he had done as governor, Fayose said he had “raised the standard” of governance in the state and that “despite the huge debts left by my predecessor, the economic downturn, I have done what Napoleon might not be able to do.”
According to him, various projects had been executed, while some are ongoing and gave the assurance that he would not leave any project uncompleted, saying “we are now at the stage of completing legacy projects such as the flyover, the new governor’s office, High Court complex, the new Ojaba Market, the last phase of the dualisation of Ado-Ikere road among others.”