The Judicial Panel of Enquiry set up to probe the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi which began hearing on Monday, heard that N163, 267,220, 48, 07 billion statutory allocations were received by the administration in four years
The Panel also heard that the former governor allegedly made N18 billion unremitted deductions from the allocations received within the period in review.
A witness from the Accountant General’s Office, Mr. Kehinde Odunayo made the disclosure, while tendering documents relating to the alleged receipt and deductions before the Judicial Panel.
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.
Counsel to the Commission, Mr. Sunday Bamise, had earlier told the court that two witnesses, Kehinde from the AG’s Office and one Mr. Adeyinka Arogundade from the Ministry of Finance will give evidence in support of the probe. Bamise noted that paragraph (2a) of the terms of reference of the Justice Silas Oyewole( rtd)-led judicial commission specified the need to present veracious and appropriate documentary evidence to ascertain the money that accrued to Ekiti under Fayemi’s administration
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 ten banks.
A document that was admitted as Exhibit A 13 revealed that the level of loan repayment when Fayemi left the office was N42, 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, N2.6 b, building of Lagos Liaison office, N500m, building of modern market in Ado Ekiti, N2b, building of new government house, N633m, 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, N1.34b, 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, Barrister I.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 quickly responded that “it was a lapses of tongue, he is the counsel to the commission, so pardon our mistake”, he begged.
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