The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused the Governor Ayo Fayose-led administration of fraud in the disbursement of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) scheme.
The party in a statement on Saturday accused the state government of shortchanging the beneficiaries by doling out N30, 000 out instead of the N100, 000 they are entitled to.
But in a swift reaction, the state government stated that it has been very transparent in the disbursement of the funds, stressing that it was not true that the beneficiaries are being shortchanged and paid in installments.
The government accused the opposition of “intellectual laziness” and attempting to play politics with the CCT policy of the MGDs.
The APC, which spoke through its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun accused the Fayose administration of greed, claiming that the Kayode Fayemi administration which secured the scheme for the beneficiaries, had told them that they would be entitled to N100, 000 each and not N30,000.
The APC said: “If not because of our outcry in the media, the governor would have creamed off N70, 000 out of N100, 000 that MDGs paid to each of its Conditional Cash Transfer indigent beneficiaries of the scheme. That translates to N155.7 million, which would have accrued to the governor from the pockets of the poor people of Ekiti State.
“The governor paid these hapless and poor beneficiaries just N30, 000 instead of N100, 000 approved by MDGs already lodged in bank opened by Ekiti State for direct payment to the beneficiaries.
“Fayose did not know that former Governor Kayode Fayemi, who secured the scheme for Ekiti people, had already told the beneficiaries that they would be entitled to N100, 000 as exit fund of the scheme and so he decided to short-change them.
“When we raised the alarm and MDG officials read our press release, ýthey queried the governor and threatened to stop the scheme and blacklist Ekiti State. This forced the governor to quickly order the payment of another N30, 000 and immediately the beneficiaries started to receive payment alerts.”
Denying the alleged fraud, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dipo Anisulowo, said a total of 2,250 beneficiaries of the MDGs CCT got N225 million with N30, 000 paid into their wallet accounts on Wednesday, another N30, 000 paid into their accounts on Thursday, another N30, 000 paid on Friday, while the balance of N100, 000 will be paid on Monday.
“The E-Wallet Platform designed for the scheme by EcoBank can only accommodate payment of N30, 000 per day. The N100, 000 will enable each of the beneficiaries to invest in Agric-related business as part of the Poverty Reduction Accelerator Investment (PRAI).”
Anisulowo, who oversees the MDGs Office in the state, urged the 2,250 beneficiaries to activate their phones to enable them receive payment alerts.
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