Immediate past governor of Ekiti State and ministerial nominee, Dr. Kayode Fayemi on Tuesday denied reports that he purchased a bed for himself when he was governor with state fund at the cost of N50 million.
Fayemi made the clarification while responding to questions from senators during his screening for confirmation as minister on Tuesday.
Shortly upon his assumption of office last October, Governor Ayo Fayose had alleged that his predecessor wasted the lean resources of the state in building a new Government House at over N3 billion and went further to claim that Fayemi spent N50 million of the state funds on purchase of mattresses and beds for himself and the former First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi.
Responding to the allegations, Fayemi said: “I challenge anybody who claims that I bought a bed for N50 million to prove it. Anyone one who knows me personally knows that I am not given to frivolities. Not even a bed of N1.5 million is there. I left everything behind when I left. All I did was to build a befitting government house for the state”.
On the recourse to borrowing by states, Fayemi said there was nothing wrong with the practice as even the United States, which everyone makes reference to, is the world’s most indebted nation.
He also pointed out that during his tenure as governor, he did not borrow to pay salaries, “but borrowed to fund capital projects for Ekiti”.
The ministerial nominee also spoke on Nigeria’s foreign policy, insecurity, prisons’ reforms and the controversial issue of Ekiti’s debt profile.
At the end of his submission, which lasted over one hour, Mr. Fayemi was asked to take a bow and leave.
Earlier, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma was also asked to take ‘a bow and go’ as a former senator. He was the first to undergo screening by the senate on Tuesday.
At the time of publishing this report, Chief Audu Ogbeh was being presented as a ministerial nominee for screening.
