Unfazed, Fayose tells Buhari to stop junketing about

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose seems to be unfazed by recent happenings around him, especially a recent allegation that he was forced on the people of the state by a combination of cash and federal military might, as he continued to lambast the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Fayose on Tuesday called on Buhari to stop junketing from one country to the other and stay at home to govern the country.
According to him, “foreign countries won’t solve our problems for us and the President’s incessant foreign trips is already bleeding the economy with about $1 million being spent per trip.”

The governor, stated that most of the trips embarked upon by the President were unnecessary, and that ministers or at best the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo could have been made to attend most of the functions being attended abroad by the President.

It would be recalled on the heels of the allegations made on Fayose by a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr Tope Aluko, many Nigerians had thought it would slow down Fayose and his criticisms of the federal government.

But an unfazed Fayose in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said that “the President should rather listen more to those of us who criticize him instead of those hailing every of his wrong steps either because of what they intend to gain or for fear of persecution.”

The statement further read: “It is even more worrisome that while the economy is already in shamble and insecurity pervades the land with Boko Haram burning Nigerians, including children alive in the North East, our President is busy globetrotting.

“From available records, in June 2015 alone, the President travelled to Niger Republic, Chad, Germany and South Africa. Also in 2015, the President travelled to United States of America in July, Benin Republic in August, Ghana and France in September, India in October, Iran, France and United States of America in November and in December, he travelled to South Africa and Benin Republic.
“This year alone, President Buhari has travelled to the United Arab Emirate, Kenya, Ethiopia and he is leaving for France and United Kingdom today to spend four days abroad.

“In most of these trips, about $500,000 is spent on estacode, transportation, accommodation, honorarium, media coverage, contingency and other expenses on accompanying Presidency officials. The Presidential Air Fleet, which includes fuelling of the planes and allowances for crew members as well as the President’s estacode per night and those of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his aides is said to be in the range of $500,000.
“Out of his eight months as President of Nigeria, two months have been spent outside the country, and one wonders how a country like Nigeria can progress with its president spending the better part of his time abroad.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now