Probe of Fayemi begins, witness says N163bn allocation received in 4 yrs

The Judicial Panel of Enquiry set up to probe the administration of immediate past administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State, began its sitting on Monday, with two witnesses called by the counsel for the commission, Mr. Sunday Bamise.

The first witnesses, Mr. Kehinde Odunayo Victor, is the Deputy Director, Funds Management, in the state’s Accountant General’s Office while the second witness, Mr. Arogundade Victor Adeyinka, is the Director, State Finances in the state’s Ministry of Finance.

The panel was told that the state received a total of N163,267,220,48.70 as allocations from the Federal Government between October 2010 and September 2014.

The witnesses also alleged that a total of N18billion deductions were not remitted by the government in the period under review.

Victor tendered various documents to support his claims and the documents were admitted by the panel as exhibits.

The witnesses , in their testimonies, urged the commission to admit as evidence their statements on oath deposed to on  July 26, 2017 as the financial position of the state between October, 2010 and September, 2014, when Fayemi was in charge.

The foregoing documents were admitted as Exhibits A 1 and B1 respectively.

Kehinde, Deputy Director, Fund management in AG’s office tendered a document entitled: “Total Deductions from FAAC allocations in the time under review, where it was revealed that a  total of  N18, 684, 785, 314, 75 was  allegedly deducted in 48 months under  the last administration and this was tendered and admitted as  exhibit A2.

The witness  revealed  that  the state indebtedness under Fayemi  in terms of loans and bond was a sum  N49  billion, with N25b taken as bond from the capital market and N24 billion as commercial loans from 10 banks .

A document that was admitted as Exhibit A 13 revealed that  the level of loan repayment when Fayemi left the office was N 42, 691, 410,210, 37.

He said “as at the time Fayemi left office in 2014, that debt incurred from outstanding workers’ emoluments , comprising pensions, subventions to schools, among others  was N13, 819,928,727,92.”

Shedding lights on how the money was expended, Arogundade  tendered a document that indicated how the N25 billion bond was expended.

The breakdown of the N20b  first tranch of the bond indicated that a sum of N468 million was  to be spent on Ero Dam, Ureje Dam,  N500m, building of the school of Agriculture, N750m, Road Construction, N2.6billion, building of Lagos Liaison office, N500m, building of modern market in Ado Ekiti, N2b, building of new government house, N633 million new governor’s office, N400m, Ikogosi Warm Spring, N1.5b, Civic Centre, N1 billion, totaling N19.3 billion.”

“The N5b second tranch of the bond was broken down thus: construction of  Ilawe-Igbara Odo-Ibuji road, N894m, Ikole-Ijesa Isu road, N1.34billion, Ewu Bridge, N20m, State Pavilion, N1.553b and Ire Resuscitation of Ire Burnt Brick,  N966m , totaling N4.84b,” the documented said.

However, there was a mild drama in the court when a Lawyer, Ibrahim K. Olanrewaju called the attention of the commission to the fact that it was wrong to refer to its counsel as prosecutor.

“I am not here to represent anybody but to honour the court. You have been referring to your counsel as a prosecutor. Who is standing trial here? Who is being prosecuted?” he asked.

Justice Oyewole responded that “it was a lapse of tongue, he is the counsel to the commission, so pardon our mistake,” he begged.

The panel was set up by Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government to probe the  administration of his predecessor, Dr. Fayemi, who is now the Minister of Steel and Slid Minerals..