The Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose has finally reacted to the latest huge discovery of about N13bn cash at an apartment in Ikoyi.

In a statement released by his aide, Lere
Olayinka, Fayose described the APC-led
government as a "Government of the more you
look, the less you see"
His statement reads; "Yesterday, it was made
public that the National Intelligence Agency
(NIA) claimed ownership of the $43,449,947,
£27,800 and N23, 218,000 seized on Wednesday
by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) from Osborne Towers, a
luxury residential complex in Ikoyi, Lagos.
This, to my mind is one cover-up too many and
this federal government seeming plot to protect
the original owner of both the money and the
apartment where it was found has further shown
that the anti-corruption fight is political,
selectselective and therefore a ruse.
Nigerians should recall that I have consistently
maintained that the APC-led federal government
was not fighting any corruption. Rather, the
government is using the anti-corruption fight as
a major political tool to cripple opposition and
turn the country to a one party state.
Therefore, for once, the federal government
should operate with the mind-set that Nigerians
are no fools. They are capable of asking
questions and they are already doing that.
Some of the questions being asked are:
1. Who is the owner of the apartment in which
the money was found?
2. Does the apartment also belong to the NIA?
3. If the apartment belong to the NIA, when was
it bought and from whom?
4. If the apartment does not belong to the NIA,
from whom and when was it rented?
5. How could a whistle-blower be aware of
movement of money into one out of many
apartments in a building without knowing the
owner of the apartment?
6. If truly the NIA was carrying out a “covert
operation” as claimed, was President
Muhammadu Buhari not briefed of the so-called
“covert operation” when he took over power?
7. Was the National Security Adviser (NSA),
whose office controls all intelligence agencies,
including the EFCC and DSS not aware of the
“covert operation”?
8. Was there any security presence at the
vicinity of the apartment to suggest that it was
being used as warehouse for over N13 billion
cash belonging to the NIA?
9. Does NIA need an unprotected apartment to
keep such huge sum of money purportedly meant
for “covert operation”?
10. How much was released for the so-called
“covert operation”, how much has been spent
and to who was account rendered up to date?
As for me, the script being acted on this
discovered cash is a cover-up that will mar the
EFCC and the federal government. It is a movie
well scripted for some alawada (comedians) but
acted so badly.
It is case of a dog that has been eating other
people’s children to the admiration of its owner
suddenly attacking the beloved son of the
owner’s friend and they are now trying to cover-
up the dog owner.
It is a major test of the integrity of the APC
federal government’s so-called anti-corruption
fight, and the earlier the proponents of the
cover-up plot come back to their normal senses
and tell Nigerians who owns the apartment in
which the money was found, the better for them.
In the last few weeks, we have been served with
dramas of recovery of funds by the EFCC.
N49 million in cash ranging from N200 to N50
was said to have been found in Kaduna Airport
and was promptly “arrested” by EFCC officials.
But up till now, Nigerians have not been told the
identities of those who brought the five sacks in
which the cash was found into the airport
despite the presence of CCTV cameras at the
airport.
EFCC also fed Nigerians with tales of recovery
of N448,850,000 (Four hundred and forty eight
million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira)
cash from a shop at LEGICO Shopping Plaza,
Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos. We
were told that the shop had not been opened for
two years and one wonders how the cash got
into the shop.
Up till today, EFCC is yet to tell Nigerians the
identity of the owner of the shop and Nigerians
are asking whether or not the Legico Shopping
Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos
is not owned by anyone and the owner of the
Plaza won't be able to identify his or her tenant.
As for this latest drama, which has
boomeranged, even though we know that the
APC-led federal government has the capacity to
sweep it under the carpet like many others
before it, Nigerians will have it on record that
they are being ruled by a government of “the
more you look, the less you see.”
Ayo Fayose (Osokomole)
Governor, Ekiti State