Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has asked Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to return the N30 billion intervention fund released by the Federal Government for victims of the January 16, 2024 Bodija explosion in Ibadan, insisting that the money should be refunded with accrued interest since it was allegedly not spent.
Fayose said it was “curious and unacceptable” that Governor Makinde failed to disclose to the people of Oyo State that N30 billion had been received from the Federal Government, alongside an additional N20 billion balance, until he raised the alarm over the N50 billion intervention fund.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesperson, Femi Philips, Fayose argued that since Makinde had admitted keeping the N30 billion in a bank since 2024, the funds should be returned to the Federal Government for proper disbursement to the victims.
“Since Governor Makinde has now said that he kept the N30 billion he admitted receiving in a bank since 2024, the Oyo State Government should return the money to the Federal Government to enable it serve the purpose for which it was released,” Fayose said.
He added that the Federal Government had the capacity to reach the victims directly, accusing the Oyo State Government of playing politics with the welfare of those affected by the explosion.
Fayose further claimed that the money would have accrued substantial interest if left in the bank. “N30 billion kept in a bank for 18 months would have generated at least N4.5 billion at 10 per cent interest. Governor Makinde must therefore return not less than N34.5 billion to the Federal Government,” he stated.
The former governor stressed that public office demands transparency and accountability, saying he made the intervention fund public to expose what he described as hypocrisy on the part of the Oyo State Governor.
“If Governor Makinde had not gone on national television to selectively disclose what transpired at his meeting with the President, while concealing the fact that he requested and received approval for a N50 billion intervention fund for explosion victims, there would have been no issue,” Fayose said.
He warned that selective disclosure of information was unacceptable, adding that Yoruba leaders would not allow the President’s name and image to be “tarnished” due to what he described as Makinde’s “inordinate presidential ambition.”
