The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday described the attempt being made by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to reclaim power in 2019 as a plot to continue to loot the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Mr Fayemi made the statement while addressing newsmen at his Isan-Ekiti country home shortly after hosting APC leaders from across the state.
He urged Nigerians not to use the current fuel scarcity to rate President Muhammadu Buhari’s performances, saying “what we are witnessing is just a normal curve in the life of any administration.
We will get over it and move on, but largely President has not disappointed Nigerians,” he said.
The minister described the panel of enquiry inaugurated by Governor Ayo Fayose to probe his administration as a kangaroo one, revealing that it was an attempt to smear his reputation and render him unpopular by the PDP-led government.
“Fayose’s stock in trade is lying against someone to score political gains.
“They started with the probe of N852 million UBEC fund and when they knew they could not go far, they started concocting lies and said I looted N17 billion.
“Let us wait and see who will go to jail between Fayose and I.
” I have been out of office and I am still moving free, but I am sure he won’t be able to walk free on the streets after losing immunity because of the way he ran the state aground.”
Mr Fayemi said Nigerians would ensure that PDP didn’t return to power because of the high level of looting it perpetrated while in the saddle.
The Minister didn’t say categorically whether he was still nursing governorship ambition.
He said the APC was incurably committed to making sure that Ekiti rejoined the league of developing states by ensuring that the party won the 2018 governorship poll.
“What the PDP wanted to come back and do is stealing.
“The options for Nigerians in 2019 is not to return to the old age of criminalisation and brigandage by voting for the PDP.
“There is nothing to convince Nigerians that they have changed with the shenanigans that characterised their national convention and poor performances by their governors.
“Up to now, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his henchmen have not apologised
about how they ran the country aground.
” So, there is nothing to suggest that PDP remains a credible alternative to APC in 2019”, he said.
Fayemi discountenanced the attacks by his political adversaries that he had not used his ministerial position for the benefit of the state.
He said: ”what I have done is measurable and clear. This government has begun the construction of a federal secretariat and housing estate in Ekiti and the rail-line was extended to this state in the Federal Government’s proposal due to my intervention.
“About 4,000 Ekiti indigenes are benefitting from N-power and very soon it will go up to 12,000. The proposal for kaolin exploration in Ekiti has just been completed, that of the bauxite will begin soon.
“President Buhari’s government is planning to set up a cottage industry in Ekiti for the sake of the solid minerals exploration and I have enlisted small scale miners around Ijero Ekiti for them to be able to benefit from the N5b loan set up by the Bank of Industry.”
NAN
