Forget about oil, we don’t control the price of oil. That’s not where our problems lie,” Adeosun said.
For years, she explained that a mind-set that the country had oil meant that Abuja had practically given up on collecting the right amounts from other state bodies, as she rattled off a list of federal agencies she said had habitually under-reported their revenues.
“Because of oil, we’ve ignored everything else,” she said.
The minister added that she had already begun “drilling down into the details” with ministry staff members to assess how much parastatals remit to the government.
She also praised the lack of pomp and circumstance at the ministerial swearing in ceremony, a sharp contrast to state ceremonies of past governments.
“The programme was a piece of paper, that’s it,” she said.
“I don’t want to say we’ve been undisciplined. But I’d say, when you have the money, you can be extravagant, flying first class instead of business [class], business instead of economy,” Adeosun said.
Fayose said, “If you look and search the style of Buhari’s administration and compare it with that of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who ruled the country between 1999 and 2007, the two administrations have a resemblance of military dictatorship.”
According to him, looking critically at the administration of the All Progressives Congress, people have discovered that the Buhari-led government does not possess an iota of human right.
He further alleged that Buhari had only concentrated on chasing members of the Peoples Democratic Party over alleged corruption.
Fayose spoke at the Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, during the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party rally for its Kogi State governorship candidate, Capt. Idris Wada.
Some of the dignitaries who attended the rally included the Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko; the National Chairman, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus; a former National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali; Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi Igwe: the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisah Metuh; and Senator Smart Adeyemi.
Fayose accused the state APC governorship candidate, Prince Abubabakar Audu, of fraud, and wondered where Buhari was when the APC cleared the former governor of Kogi State to be the APC governorship candidate.
“It is laughable when the APC national body cleared Abubakar Audu to contest the governorship election when he is facing trail in the Lokoja High Court and in Abuja. Where was President Buhari? Can he claim that he is not in the know?,” he said.
Fayose alleged that Audu has had many corrupt charges against him in the last 12 years.
He urged President Buhari to examine thoroughly his close appointees, aides and party members like other people, saying the nation belongs to Nigerians.
The governor said, “The APC-led government only dillies-dally around the challenges confronting the nation; the issue of Boko Haram and the dwindling economic situation became worse in the last six months of the Buhari administration.
“This government has only achieved a lot in the area of chasing shadow, making the nation worse for the people.”
Fayose also alleged that the Federal Government a few day ago released N12.5bn to the Kogi State APC to enable the party perpetrate rigging and win the November 21 governorship election.
According to Fayose, the APC cannot win in Kogi State as the party is not strong in the state.
He further alleged that the N12.5bn was released from the Treasury Single Account championed by Buhari’s administration.
