Fayose attacks Lai Mohammed over alleged N1.34tr fraud, demands he names culprits now, but farmers tackle Fayose over airstrip project

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has challenged Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to make public, names of 15 former governors and 55 Nigerians who he claimed stole N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013.
He said: “The reality is that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has destroyed the economy within eight months in power and, rather than look for solutions to the problems facing Nigeria, Lai Mohammed and his cohorts are branding bogus figures about stolen money just to cover up their lack of solution to the country’s economic problems.”
In a release issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was funny that close to one year after it won the presidential election, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government was still operating as if it was campaigning for votes.
The governor continued: “They are turning governance to Nollywood, such that when one movie is about to end, they release another one. As it appears that the $2.1 billion arms deal movie is getting to an end, Lai Mohammed introduced another movie entitled: ‘N1.34 trillion loot’.
“Unfortunately for them this time around, Nigerians have become tired of watching Federal Government movies, they now want reality. Nigerians are now aware of the scam in the $2.1 billion arms deal movie having seen that the amount those already charged to court were charged with is not more than N10 billion and $2.1 billion is over N600 billion.
“Therefore, Lai Mohammed must either tell Nigerians details of the 15 former governors and 55 people that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion, where the stolen money is kept and bring back the money or apologise to Nigerians for lying.”
Still in Ekiti, enraged farmers who claim to be owners of the 4,000 hectares of land earmarked for the building of the proposed Ekiti Airstrip, yesterday protested against what they termed forceful acquisition of their farmland by the state government.
They urged Governor Ayodele Fayose to, as a matter of urgency, move the proposed airport project to Ekiti forest reserve land near the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.
The farmers, who marched at the project site yesterday, described the destruction of their cocoa and other valuable crops by Fayose’s government  “as wicked and callous.” In a swift reaction, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, described their action as “throwing spanner in the wheel of progress.
“The project was conceived a long time ago. That land belongs to the state government. Some people are just willing to throw spanner in the wheel of progress, but we would ensure the project is a success. The aggrieved people have means and avenues of channelling their grievances. We don’t have to hold a meeting and turn anyone into a tin god in the process. If anybody wants to speak with government, there are 14 ministries they can go to.  We have a tradition of paying compensation and we will do that. But, there is no way government will surrender its power to some people. The land belongs to government.”
The visibly enraged farmers displayed placards of various inscriptions, condemning the government for alleged forceful takeover of their lands and willful damage of their means of livelihood over a project they branded as misplaced priority.
Spokesman of the group, Mr. Ojo Awe, called on Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to speak with all relevant authorities to stop the airport project that is ravaging the agriculture nerve centre of the state.