Faleke blasts Gov for donating cars, cash to masquerades in Okene

Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Kogi State and former Campaign Coordinator to President Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos State, James Faleke has described as the height of absurdity the donation of 6 Toyota Venza Cars and cash gifts of 2 Million Naira each by the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to masquerades in his hometown of Okene during the last Ekwechi(Masquerade) festival in December 2017.

Faleke in a statement he issued on Tuesday,said it was indeed absurd that the same Governor who has not been able to pay workers salaries for several months and promised to clear all outstanding salaries and pensions last December without fulfilling it could go ahead to spend money buying car gifts for masquerades.


“I honestly don’t know what is happening in our State. We thought the governor( Alhaji Yahaya Bello) would heed popular call to settle all outstanding salaries and pensions in the State last December as he promised after receiving the Paris refunds of close to 12 Billion Naira only for him to pay 40 percent of 2 months. So where did the rest of the money go? Next we heard was the news of the 6 Venza cars he bought and presented to masquerades in Okene through their Minders along with 2 Million Naira cash to each of the masquerades! How else can one be so insensitive to the welfare, yearnings and aspirations of his people”.

According to Faleke, the State Government that had denied all along it had no outstandings just released a fresh list of “cleared staff”.

“What this means is that those staff whose names were just released had been without pay for the past two years when the screening exercise began. So who is fooling who,” Faleke wondered..

The lawmaker bemoaned the situation where instead of providing succour for the citizenry across the State, what obtains is intimidation and harassment of hapless and harmless citizens all over the place.

” A case in point is the recent case in Iyamoye community where a group of youth were distributing End of Year gifts to APC Members and were attacked by Soldiers providing security for Governor Bello’s appointed Local Government Administrator for Ijumu Local Government, Taofeek Isah.

” As an Administrator, the State Government provided him soldiers with which he harrasses perceived political opponents across the State. Of course, the newstands were agog few days ago with the news of how “unidentified” thugs hijacked the first batch of rice consignments donated by some Senators to alleviate hunger ravaging the workers’ homes. That is the reality of our dear State at the moment.”

He called on Governor Bello to “turn a new leaf this year by re-ordering his government’s priorities away from childish, wasteful, unproductive extravaganza to meaningful statecraft aimed at ameliorating the current unacceptable level of pains being inflicted on the people of the State”.