Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has challenged former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, to provide evidence backing his claim that the governor received ₦50 billion from President Bola Tinubu following the January 2024 Ibadan explosion.
Governor Makinde had visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja in January 2024 to submit a report on the explosion, which claimed five lives, injured 77 people, and destroyed about 55 houses in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
However, Fayose, during an interview on a television programme on Friday, alleged that the Presidency released ₦50 billion to Makinde to address the aftermath of the explosion, claiming the funds were not paid directly into the Oyo State Government’s accounts.
The allegation was later echoed by Fayose’s former media aide, Lere Olayinka, who wrote on Facebook that only ₦4.5 billion out of the alleged ₦50 billion was disbursed to victims of the incident.
Reacting to the claims, the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State Governor, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, dismissed the allegations as false and unfounded.
Olarenwaju challenged Fayose and his associates to publicly present proof of the alleged fund transfer, insisting that mere media statements were insufficient.
“There is no truth to the claim. If anyone has evidence that the Federal Government gave ₦50 billion to the Oyo State Governor, they should present it,” he said.
He added that the Makinde administration had acted transparently in responding to the explosion and providing relief to victims, stressing that all actions taken by the state government were properly documented.
The Oyo State Government maintained that resources deployed in managing the aftermath of the explosion were aimed solely at supporting affected residents and rebuilding impacted communities.
