Ekiti State Government has raised the alarm over plans by some elements in the state to discredit the administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi with the circulation of fake documents, purported to be government transactions.
According to a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday by the State Commissioner for Information and Civil Orientation, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye, part of the fake documents being circulated include fake invoices and records of purported government transactions.
Afuye , who fingered the opposition in the move, said the masterminds of the criminal acts had recruited and paid some individuals to carry out the nefarious activities with the sole aim of discrediting the government.
The Information Commissioner, however said that the Dr kayode Fayemi-led administration had nothing to hide, having domesticated the Freedom of Information Law, which makes provision for citizens to access official information from government.
What the government frowns against, according to him, is attempt by some individuals to abandon the laid down procedure of accessing information for the dubious and criminal acts of faking invoices and records purported to be government’s transaction.
He said the full weight of the law would be meted out to anyone found culpable in the character assassination agenda which involve faking of government documents.
Afuye cited novel achievements of the Fayemi administration in the areas of good governance, as one of the things the opposition could not comprehend, hence its recourse to acts capable of denting the image of the government.
The statement reads in part: “It must be stated in clear terms that the Government of Dr Kayode Fayemi is an open book and has nothing to hide. This is why it is the first state in the country to domesticate and pass the Freedom of Information Law, which makes provisions that enable citizens to request for any information from government. There are also provisions in the Law to sanction refusal of legitimate requests. Hence , a patriotic citizen or genuine critic of government does not need to rely on false or criminal means to source information on government activities.
“Ekiti State has taken the lead and indeed scored first in many areas. Aside being the first state to domesticate the FOI Law in the country, the state is the first to pass the Gender-based Violence Prohibition Law. It is second to none in social security scheme for the elderly that has become a reference point in Nigeria and the West Africa Sub-region.
“Today, the Ekiti child is proud to be globally integrated into the universal Information and Communication Technology through the e-School project (one –computer-per –desk) ,as well as special computers and instructional materials for the physically challenged students. The teachers are also not left out.
“The present administration has raised the state’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N109 million in December 2010 to over N600million in December 2011. The prevailing state of peace in Ekiti is spiced with massive infrastructure development notably in road construction, rural electrification, renaissance of industrial, agricultural and tourism sectors.
“All these are puzzles that are beyond the comprehension of these elements who had previously squandered an ill-gotten opportunity to develop the state.
“Finally, it must be clearly stated that the purveyors of falsehood do so at their own risk and maximum weight of the law shall be meted out on whoever is found culpable in this character assassination agenda.
“The Fayemi administration remains focused and committed to its eight-point agenda for the development of the Land of Honour.”
Last modified: March 18, 2012