Barely five days after the inauguration of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Ayodele Fayose, the Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, released photographs of the interior of the new government house built at an estimate of N3.3 billion by the immediate past government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Olayinka described the new government house built by Fayemi as an act of insensitivity to the plight of Ekiti people, many of whom cannot afford to feed once in a day, adding that no progressive minded Ekiti person would see the out-of-this-world luxury provided with over N3.3bn borrowed fund and not weep for the State and its people.Olayinka, who said Governor Fayose was alarmed at the waste of Ekiti resources stated that the governor would have preferred to sell out the property and use the fund to provide basic amenities and employment opportunities for the people.
Employment opportunities
He disclosed that “the plan was to run government from the comfort of Oke-Ayoba Government House and move from there to anywhere.
“Also, contract for the maintenance of the property was already awarded for N150 million per annum.
“When we visited the Government House for the first time yesterday (Sunday), Mr Governor was pondering on the option of selling-off the place or turn it to commercial use.”
Speaking further, the governor’s aide said: “The bed alone costs over N30 million and what was spent on the bedrooms, toilets and bathrooms will be in the region of N100 million.
“How can a responsible government use borrowed fund to provide this kind of luxury in a State where a lot of people cannot afford to feed once in a day?
“People should ask what was really wrong with the abandoned governor’s lodge?
“Shouldn’t such funds expended on the hilltop edifice had been used to resuscitate the moribund Textile Factory in Ado-Ekiti that was turned to lock-up shops to provide employments for our teeming unemployed youths?
“Here is a government which could not pay workers salaries, owing them for two months before leaving, preferring to use over N3 billion borrowed fund to provide luxury for himself.
“Most importantly, did our late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whom the so-called progressives claim as their role-model live in any government house, not to talk of building an Emperor-like House for himself?
Did late Michael Adekunle Ajasin build a monarchical government house for himself? Did Baba Lateef Jakande live in any government house? These are great Yoruba sons, whose recorded landmark achievements as Premier of the old Western Region and governors of Lagos State and the old Ondo State respectively.
“The duo of Ajasin and Jakande were able to impact tremendously on their States because they would not like to waste public fund to provide luxury for themselves,” he lamented.
While reiterating Governor Fayose’s avowed commitment to the masses, Olayinka said: “Left for Governor Fayose, he won’t use that aristocratic government house because it is a symbol of oppression in itself. He will prefer to live where Ekiti people can easily see him, touch him, eat with him and discuss the progress of the State together, but abandoning it would amount to colossal waste of public funds. Let me assure you, Governor Fayose will not hide himself from the masses,” assured Olayinka.
Source: Vanguard
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Olayinka described the new government house built by Fayemi as an act of insensitivity to the plight of Ekiti people, many of whom cannot afford to feed once in a day, adding that no progressive minded Ekiti person would see the out-of-this-world luxury provided with over N3.3bn borrowed fund and not weep for the State and its people.Olayinka, who said Governor Fayose was alarmed at the waste of Ekiti resources stated that the governor would have preferred to sell out the property and use the fund to provide basic amenities and employment opportunities for the people.
Employment opportunities
He disclosed that “the plan was to run government from the comfort of Oke-Ayoba Government House and move from there to anywhere.
“Also, contract for the maintenance of the property was already awarded for N150 million per annum.
“When we visited the Government House for the first time yesterday (Sunday), Mr Governor was pondering on the option of selling-off the place or turn it to commercial use.”
Speaking further, the governor’s aide said: “The bed alone costs over N30 million and what was spent on the bedrooms, toilets and bathrooms will be in the region of N100 million.
“How can a responsible government use borrowed fund to provide this kind of luxury in a State where a lot of people cannot afford to feed once in a day?
“People should ask what was really wrong with the abandoned governor’s lodge?
“Shouldn’t such funds expended on the hilltop edifice had been used to resuscitate the moribund Textile Factory in Ado-Ekiti that was turned to lock-up shops to provide employments for our teeming unemployed youths?
“Here is a government which could not pay workers salaries, owing them for two months before leaving, preferring to use over N3 billion borrowed fund to provide luxury for himself.
“Most importantly, did our late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whom the so-called progressives claim as their role-model live in any government house, not to talk of building an Emperor-like House for himself?
Did late Michael Adekunle Ajasin build a monarchical government house for himself? Did Baba Lateef Jakande live in any government house? These are great Yoruba sons, whose recorded landmark achievements as Premier of the old Western Region and governors of Lagos State and the old Ondo State respectively.
“The duo of Ajasin and Jakande were able to impact tremendously on their States because they would not like to waste public fund to provide luxury for themselves,” he lamented.
While reiterating Governor Fayose’s avowed commitment to the masses, Olayinka said: “Left for Governor Fayose, he won’t use that aristocratic government house because it is a symbol of oppression in itself. He will prefer to live where Ekiti people can easily see him, touch him, eat with him and discuss the progress of the State together, but abandoning it would amount to colossal waste of public funds. Let me assure you, Governor Fayose will not hide himself from the masses,” assured Olayinka.
Source: Vanguard
