Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has challenged a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, to provide evidence to support his claim that he (Makinde) received N50bn from President Bola Tinubu following the January 2024 Ibadan explosion.
Makinde had, in January 2024, visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to submit a report on the explosion, which claimed five lives, injured 77 persons and destroyed about 55 houses in Ibadan, the state capital.
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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.
The allegation was further echoed by Fayose’s former aide, Lere Olayinka, who claimed on Facebook that although Makinde received N50bn, only N4.5bn was released to victims of the explosion.
“Ibadan Gomina General got N50bn from Tinubu’s govt, only to release N4.5bn to victims of Ibadan explosion of January 2024,” Olayinka wrote.
Reacting in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Makinde’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, dismissed the claims as baseless and challenged Fayose and his allies to substantiate them 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.
The state government maintained that all actions taken by the Makinde administration in response to the explosion were transparent and aimed at supporting victims and restoring affected communities.