Fayemi ignores Ekiti Assembly invite over N852m UBEC fund

The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, failed to honour the invitation extended to him to appear before the Ekiti State House of Assembly over allegations that his administration  misappropriated N852m Universal Basic Education Commission fund.

The Assembly had ordered Fayemi, a former governor of the state, to appear before it at a  plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Kola Oluwawole on  March 9.

However, Fayemi, wrote back to the Assembly through his Personal Assistant, Tolulope Ibitola, that he could not honour the invitation “due to prior scheduled state engagements”.

He wrote: “The minister has however asked that I should draw your attention to the fact that all matters relating to his stewardship  as Ekiti State Governor between October 16, 2010 and October 15, 2014 was  well documented in his handover note, which was duly submitted to the government  at the expiration of his tenure on October 15, 2014 as statutorily required.

“The minister will be pleased to respond to specific clarifications the House may wish to make further to your diligent examination of the handover note.”

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The speaker nevertheless insisted that Fayemi could still be  invited to defend himself over the  UBEC fund, despite responding to the first summons of the House via a letter.

Oluwawole, who was responding to  questions from journalists after an obituary session of the House held in honour of a former member of the House, Ajewole Asaolu.

He said: “You will recall that during our last sitting, we invited Fayemi to come and explain how the government he led managed or mismanaged the missing SUBEB counterpart fund.

“We expected him to appear today, but he did not show up. He, instead, responded through a letter, saying that he wouldn’t be able to come owing to certain official duties. He said his stewardship was detailed in the handover note he presented to Governor Ayo Fayose and that the issue of the SUBEB fund was also in it.”

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