Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has denied dumping the former factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dele Olugbemi.
This is just as he said he had embarked on capital projects in the state apart from paying workers’ salaries despite the shortfall in federal allocations.
The governor said this in reaction to allegations that he was paying only salaries with allocations that accrued to the state while neglecting physical development of the state.
Mr. Olugbemi had rejected the governor’s appointment as member of the state House of Assembly Commission based on “principle”.
He also said he was not consulted before his appointment was announced on radio despite being a member of the appointment committee.
However, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said, “It is not true that Governor Fayose dumped him. The governor appointed him a commissioner member of Ekiti State House of Assembly Commission. He earns same salary and entitlements like other commissioners. What else does he want?
“Tunji Odeyemi, who is the commission’s chairman, was the speaker during the time of Segun Oni and also acting governor of the state. Is Olugbemi asking that he should be placed above Odeyemi?
“I don’t know of any other way the governor can treat him. Mind you, if you have assisted anybody in life, it is God who used you, much as God can decide to use somebody else if you decline. In everything, we should give glory to God”.
Speaking on projects embarked on by Fayose, Adelusi said, “He has built the Bisi Market in Ado-Ekiti and we are working on others such as the Oja Oba and Awedele markets.
“Road projects are going on in Bawa-Irewumi-Iyin Road; the dualisation of Awedele Road, Car wash-Afao Road, building of drainages, dredging of canals and other ongoing MDG projects”.
The chief press secretary said the governor would continue to develop the state beyond where his predecessors left it and he would continue to accord priority to payment of workers’ salaries.
He added, “It would not do the people of the state any good if the government embarks on projects that would end up as white elephants, while the people lacked money to take care of their basic needs.
“Therefore, the governor gave standing instruction that whenever allocation comes, salary is the priority. We need at least N2.6 billion monthly to pay salaries and give subvention to agencies and institutions.
“Sometimes we do have shortfall, for example in June 2014, the Fayemi administration got much as N3.9 billion allocation, but same time this year, we got N1.8 billion, about 53.4 per cent”.
Adelusi, therefore, urged people of the state to continue to support the current government, saying Mr. Fayose was determined to leave the state better than he met it.
