Ibadan Explosion: Fayose Accuses Makinde Of Diverting N50bn FG Fund

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of diverting a N50bn Federal Government intervention fund meant for victims of the January 2024 Ibadan explosion.

Fayose made the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday, following an earlier exchange between him and the Oyo State governor over claims that the state received the funds as intervention support after the deadly explosion.

According to Fayose, Oyo State received N50bn from the Federal Government, but only N4.5bn was reportedly released to victims of the incident.

He alleged that the balance of the funds was diverted to other purposes, including what he described as Makinde’s presidential ambition.

The former Ekiti governor said he decided to release documents he claimed were official government records after Makinde publicly challenged him to provide evidence of the alleged N50bn intervention fund.

“Two days ago, I said on a national television that Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde got a sum of N50bn from the Federal Government as intervention on the January 2024 explosion in Ibadan,” Fayose said, according to a statement shared on Facebook by his former aide, Lere Olayinka.

“Meanwhile, only N4.5bn was released to victims of the Ibadan Explosion. Rather, he diverted this fund and many others to his Presidential ambition, which is the reason for the crisis in the PDP and his attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his government.

“Even though it is not in my character to go public with official government documents, I had to do this so that Nigerians will know who is saying the truth, and who has not been sincere with the people of Oyo State.”

He further alleged that Makinde’s political ambitions were responsible for internal crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his frequent criticisms of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government.

Fayose challenged the Oyo State governor to take legal action against him if his claims were untrue, insisting that he had additional documentary evidence of other Federal Government intervention funds allegedly received by the Oyo State Government but not disclosed to the public.

He also claimed to possess documents detailing the actual Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State, which he said contradicts figures publicly presented by the governor, noting that he would release them at a later date.

Fayose, who served as Ekiti State governor between 2003 and 2006 and again from 2014 to 2018, maintained that his allegations were based on verifiable evidence.

“If as a governor, you have elected to go on national television to disclose part of what transpired in private meetings you had with the President, it becomes the duty of well-meaning Nigerians to give full disclosure.

“Lastly, I challenge Governor Seyi Makinde to sue me on this. Let me also tell him that there are proofs of other intervention funds received from Tinubu’s administration by the Oyo State Government, which the governor refused to disclose to the people.

“Also, there are documentary evidences on the actual Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State, as against Governor Makinde’s claim, but we will keep our gunpowder dry for now,” he added.

Makinde had challenged Fayose to provide evidence to support his claim that the Oyo State governor received N50bn from Tinubu following the January 2024 Ibadan explosion.

In January 2024, Makinde visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to submit a report on the explosion, which claimed five lives, injured 77 people, and destroyed about 55 houses in Ibadan, the state capital.

However, Fayose, during an interview on TVC on Friday, alleged that Makinde received N50bn from the Presidency to manage the aftermath of the incident, claiming that the funds did not go directly into the coffers of the state government.

Reacting to the allegation in an interview with The PUNCH, Makinde’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, dismissed the claim as baseless and challenged Fayose and his associates to substantiate it with evidence.

“There is no substance to the claim. If he (Fayose) has proof that the Federal Government gave N50bn, he should provide it. It is not just about going on air to say rubbish,” Olarenwaju said.

“If he has evidence, he should come forward with it. I don’t think we should waste time on these guys,” he added.