The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has replied Vanguard for Credible Representation after the group called for him to be probed over N825.9m UBEC fund.
Th group had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged misappropriation of N852, 936,713.92 counterpart fund belonging to the Ekiti State under the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration.
But responding to the allegation, Fayemi described the group as “faceless” labelling it a propaganda tool of Governor Ayo Fayose’s government.
Fayemi then denied the accusations against him, explaining the role of his government.

Read full response below:
The attention of the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has been drawn to yet another spurious allegation by a faceless group, aided by the Ekiti State Government, on the N825.9m UBEC fund.
While it may not be desirable to dignify such a faceless group with a response, especially, given the fact that it is one of the propaganda tools of the Ayo Fayose government, masquerading as an interest group. We, however consider it necessary to set the record straight for the sake of the unsuspecting members of the public who are daily fed with a deluge of falsehood by the propaganda machinery of Ekiti State government.
Considering the desperate manner the Fayose government has been falsifying UBEC’s position over the Ekiti SUBEB fund, all in the bid to tarnish the image of the minister and the record of the administration he led in Ekiti, it can only be a case of a discredited government desperately looking for who to discredit.
If indeed the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is investigating the UBEC fund in Ekiti, the commission should be allowed to do its job.
The much that is expected of the government is to present its case with facts and await the outcome of the investigation. Instead of doing this, it has opted for character assassination, in its crudest manner, using faceless groups.
For the avoidance of doubt, the allegation of illegal withdrawal of the UBEC fund levelled against the immediate past administration is false in its entirety.
The fact, as attested to by the UBEC’s deputy Executive Secretary, Dr Yakubu Gambo, in his presentation at the National Assembly, is that the the bank withdrew its money when the government lost the 2014 governorship election for fear that the incoming government might not honour the terms of repayment.
Dr Gambo had reportedly told the Senators: “So, the sitting government that took the loan from the bank to provide the counterpart to access what is in the coffers of the federal government lost an election. And the bank decided that the state had not met up the requirement for pay back. And so as not to have problem with the incoming government, they decided to withdraw their money.
“So Ekiti state went ahead to implement part of the action plan with the N826million assessed from UBEC. When we went out for monitoring and we discovered these anomalies we sanctioned Ekiti State by ensuring that until they formalize and bring back that matching grant they will no longer asses any form of funding from UBEC. And that is the position now”.
The sanction handed Ekiti by UBEC was as a result of Fayose’s threat to financial institutions in Ekiti, which made them withdrew support from the then government.
It is recalled that Fayose had called bank chiefs to a meeting shortly after the election and warned them that he was not going to repay any loan entered with the then outgoing government. This development, coupled with his reputation as a highly misguided ruler had made many financial institutions, including the one in question to review existing relationships.
If Fayose had behaved in a responsible manner, the banks would have had no reason to withdraw support for the government, the project would have been concluded, contractors paid and the state would have been in a position to assess another fund in line with the UBEC regulations.
The painful part is that the state is being denied UBEC funding because of gross irresponsibility of the incumbent government.
It is on record that when the Fayemi administration came in 2010, SUBEB counterpart funding of 2008 was outstanding and contracts were already awarded by the previous government led by Engr Segun Oni.
Knowing that government is a continuum, the Fayemi government had supported all that the Engr Segun Oni government left behind and funded the SUBEB projects through loan arrangements from the bank which was paid back on monthly basis. Theses procedures remained for the 2009 and 2010 SUBEB projects.
It is also on record that the SUBEB fund was used judiciously by the Fayemi administration and this is evident in the construction of primary school buildings and renovation of junior secondary schools among others.
The Fayose administration should show some decency, refrain from peddling falsehood and face governance with every sense of responsibility.