Due to the alleged diversion of N852m counterpart funding in 2012 by the Kayode Fayemi administration, the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has not been able to access nearly N5 billion from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) since the last four years.
The Executive Chairman, Ekiti SUBEB, Senator Bode Ola, disclosed this in a weekly Yoruba Television programme, “Ela Loro” in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend.
Ola stated that the N852 million was UBEC’s fund for the state in 2012 and instead of the state government to use it for the development of basic education, the Fayemi administration used the money for something else.
“Ekiti has up to N5 billon hanging in Abuja now, over N1billion for 2013, N890 million for 2014, N1billon plus for 2015, and N1billion for 2016 but Ekiti cannot access this money because of the diversion of N852 million SUBEB money by the Fayemi administration in 2012.
“This has brought untold hardship to SUBEB and primary school education. As the chairman of Ekiti SUBEB, I am sad, Ekiti is being left behind by other states due to lack of fund.The irony of it is that those who committed this crime are not showing remorse, rather they are using the media to dish out lies against the Fayose Administration.
“I am sad because the poor man’s children that should benefit from the fund are really suffering because they have used the SUBEB money to carry out jobs between themselves to the disadvantage of the poor man’s children.
“They deliberately caused hardship for the government of Governor Ayodele Fayose because since then an embargo has been placed on the state from accessing the funds. So now the one for 2013, 2014, 2015 and even papers for 2016 have been brought to the state SUBEB but cannot be accessed because of the fraud committed by the Fayemi Administration.
“They went and borrowed money from bank and after the FG had paid their own part, they misused everything leaving the board with nothing to work with and be of help to the poor children that would have benefited from the use of the fund.
“When I came on board, I discovered the fraud and even the UBEC Chairman disclosed this crime committed by Fayemi administration when he appeared before the Senate some months ago,” he said.
He also recalled that the former governor refused to appear before the Ekiti House of Assembly when they summoned him over the allegation.
On how the board has been managing since, Ola said they rely on subvention from the state government, but that it is not enough.
He added that the board had not been able to execute capital projects due to lack of funds.
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