Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose has insisted that he will not back off from his opposition to the bid to withdraw one billion dollars from the Excess Crude Account, ECA to fight Boko Haram insurgency.
The Governor who insisted on Tuesday that he had dragged the federal government and the NGF to court over the matter said also has Ekiti State ‘hunger haram’ which it could use the deductions from the ECA for.
Fayose, told State House correspondents after a meeting of the NGF and Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly at the State House, Abuja, that he did not have the opportunity to express his objection to the decision before all the governors Tuesday
According to him, the matter was not listed on the agenda for the meeting.
“May I say this to you? I filed the case in court as early as noon today (yesterday). If it was not listed as part of the meeting, so how am I going to raise the issue? I have options and I have said it expressly. I have gone to court,” he said.
The Governor said he was opposed to the decision because the people of Ekiti State had been robbed of their own share of the money which he said would further compound the hunger ravaging the state.
“I’m not in support of the $1 billion and will never be in support. In my state, we have agreed to go to court to contest this. It is our legitimate right. All accruals to the federation must be shared by the three tiers of government and for me to get justice, I have to go to court.
“The issue was not discussed at all. But for me, I have taken appropriate steps because the money belongs to Ekiti people not for any other use. But I am speaking for Ayo Fayose.
“With the PDP and other stakeholders, we have not met. I did not attend the meeting (last week). Even if I was part of the meeting, I would have made it expressly clear that I will not support it. Every state has its own peculiarities in terms of security.
“Ekiti State has ‘hunger haram’ where hunger is afflicting people everywhere. A lot of people are being kidnapped daily. Whatever is in that money, as far as I am concerned, we should share it.
“Let everybody go and solve his own problem. I have challenges and they should give me my money. It is Ekiti’s money,” he stressed.