Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti governor, says he does not use the
state’s resources to finance his personal or political trips.
A report had accused nine serving governors of “squandering
millions of naira on private jets” to move around the country for their
presidential bids.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Friday, Yinka
Oyebode, chief press secretary to the governor, described the report as
“inaccurate and misleading”.
He said the governor only uses a private jet in peculiar
situations, and that the cost is supported by friends.
“The unduly generalised report, titled; ‘Wike, Fayemi,
Tambuwal, six other governors squander millions on private jets,’ is not only
inaccurate and misleading, it is bereft of facts, which made it fall short of
the journalistic standard for which the Daily Trust is known,” the statement
reads.
“One wonders how the newspaper arrived at the number of
chartered flights purportedly taken by the governor in the course of his recent
political activities, which it put at 16.
“We also consider it poor journalistic work for the
newspaper to assume that all the trips to the states mentioned in the report
were via private jets.
“For the avoidance of doubt, while it is correct that
Governor Fayemi occasionally uses private jets to get to some difficult to
reach places and when commercial flights disappoint, alternative arrangements
are made for such trips, more often than not supported by friends.
“It must be stated that Governor Fayemi does not use state
resources for his personal or political trips, as these are distinct from
official trips.
“While we do not dispute the role of the media to inform the
public, we are of the opinion that such should be done with due regard for
fairness and accuracy of information.
“We, therefore, challenge the newspaper to provide evidence
that Ekiti State funds were used for private jets. Otherwise, we demand that
the report be retracted.
“Governor Kayode Fayemi, a man of high ethical standards,
holds dear the tenets of financial discipline and accountability in his public
service engagements.”
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