N170m Fraud Allegation: I’m Open To Investigation, Ekiti Ex- commissioner Declares

THE Commissioner immediate for past Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State, Prof. Ojo Bakare, has denied the allegation against him that he embezzled over N170 million while in charge of the ministry. Bakare, who stated that he served the state with utmost zeal as a commissioner, also said none of his family members was receiving salary contrary to the news being peddled against him.

Bakare was responding to allegations media that he trending embezzled on social over N100 million during the 2021 edition of the national festival of Arts and Culture hosted by Ekiti. The allegations also included that the Professor of Dance defrauded the ministry over N26 million in the 2022 NAFEST hosted by Lagos State and also plunged the ministry into N40 million debt being money purportedly expended on publicity during the arts fiesta hosted by Ekiti. The former Dean, Post Graduate School, Federal

University, Oye Ekiti, who debunked the allegation in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, while speaking with journalists, said the government of former governor Kayode Fayemi only released a sum of N94 million for the 2021 NAFEST.

Bakare dispelled the accusation that he and the state’s contingents, who attended the Lagos NAFEST programme 2022, spent over N26 million on hotel accommodation, saying only N15 million was released by the government for the 87- member contingents that represented

Ekiti.

He refuted the allegation that the responsibilities being given to him by govern orb io dun Oyebanji after leaving office connoted that he was planning to scheme a comeback as a commissioner.

Bakare, who threatened to petition the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Morounkeji Adesina, to investigate the purveyors of the “fake news”, charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) to investigate the ministry’s financial books under his reign.