The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has criticised Governor Ayodele Fayose over failure to pay workers salary arrears.
It said the governor’s preference for building airport, new market and flyover bridge contradicted his campaign slogan to “tar stomachs” before embarking on physical infrastructure.
It added that it is sheer opportunism and lack of integrity to deceive the people during campaigns with mouth-watering promises only to turn around to deny them after getting to power to pursue selfish agenda.
Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement on Sunday that the governor had been playing games with the intelligence of Ekiti people since the assumption of office in his programme implementation policy.
“We knew from the outset that Governor Fayose had no programme that could lift Ekiti people out of poverty.
“At best, his stomach infrastructure slogan was meant to dishonestly set Ekiti people, particularly workers, against the immediate past government of Dr Kayode Fayemi, which embarked on massive infrastructure development for socio-economic needs of Ekiti people.
“As anti-development politician with an eye on wealth accumulation, Fayose started touting “stomach infrastructure” with the promise never to owe workers salaries because people must eat first before embarking on physical infrastructure.
“Now, the governor has turned full circle, telling workers that they should expect pay three times in a year while embarking on multi-billion naira bridge, market and airport projects,” he explained.
Insisting that Fayose embarked on these projects to feather his nest, Olatunbosun said: “Even though he criticised Fayemi for borrowing money for development purposes, Fayose has gone to borrow N10 billion to construct a needless flyover while workers and pensioners are being owed between five and six months in arrears. The money was in a fixed account over a period of time but Fayose has not told Ekiti people how much interest has accrued on the money.
“Wondering over the sudden change of policy from stomach infrastructure to physical infrastructure, he said the governor’s new attitude could not be divorced from the “20 percent syndrome in government contracts award in Ekiti State in which case public funds end up in private pockets”.
Describing the governor’s treatment of workers as “ungodly and sheer wickedness”, he said the effect of non-payment of salaries had crippled the local economy which mainly depended on monthly salary.
“Fayose has not paid teachers, local government workers and state retirees their benefits running into billions of naira, yet he sees nothing wrong in borrowing N10 billion to build a flyover to nowhere even when the governor knows that Ekiti people don’t need any flyover in that area of the state capital that doesn’t pose any traffic challenge.
“But Ekiti people know that these capital projects are the only sure way public funds can end up in private pockets as usual while workers’ salaries and other entitlements are left unpaid,” Olatunbosun explained.
