FANTASTICALLY CORRUPT COUNTRIES: Fayose blames Buhari for Cameron’s comments

Ado-EKITI—Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s utterances outside Nigeria was the reason the British Prime Minister, David Cameron described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”, saying; “What do you expect from the international community when the President of a nation keeps going abroad to say that his people are corrupt?” He said it was annoying that President Buhari said he was embarrassed and shocked by Cameron’s comment, adding that instead of saying that he was shocked, the president should apologise to Nigerians for demarketing the country and his people. The governor, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka said it was on record that in February this year, President Buhari said in United Kingdom that “Nigerians’ reputation for crime has made them unwelcome in Britain” and went on to warn Nigerians to stop trying to make asylum claims in Britain, saying that their reputation for criminality has made it hard for them to be accepted abroad. Fayose Fayose He said; “When a president mounts the podium in foreign lands and gleefully says that his own people are criminals, that they are corrupt and that those abroad should be sent back home, why won’t heads of other countries brand all citizens of such a country as fantastically corrupt? “Rather than this grandstanding from the presidency, conceited efforts should be made to redeem the image of Nigeria that the president has destroyed.” Governor Fayose, who said he was not against the anti-corruption efforts of the Federal Government, added that all he was saying was that it should be done in accordance with the laws of the country and that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must stop behaving as if it is above the law. Gov throws weight behind protesting hospital staff Meantime, protesting staff members of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FEHTI) Ido-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State yesterday prevailed on Governor Fayose to support them over their agitation and demand for immediate removal of their Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Lawrence Folorunsho Ayodele over of alleged official misconduct and insensitivity to the plight of th e hospital staff. Fayose, who arrived the gate of the hospital at about noon yesterday into the arms of a mammoth crowd of the staff and residents of the community, was prevented from entering into the hospital as the aggrieved staff demanded that he addressed them outside the gate of the hospital. All pleas by the governor and the leaders of the staff unions/ associations to them to allow Governor Fayose gain entry into the hospital and meet with their leaders fell on deaf ears of the angry staff. The governor, after about an hour of waiting at the gate, eventually succumbed to the will of the staff and addressed them, saying: “I’m not here for the Medical Director, Dr Ayodele. I’m here for you. This is a federal hospital. As much as you don’t want him again. I support you. “Yesterday, I was with your leaders and Dr. Ayodele and I told them my mind and I told Dr. Ayodele that he did not do well with these people. I told him that if we were in an advanced democracy, if I were him, I would have resigned. I reminded him about the sayings of the elders, that you cannot be bigger than the institution, the community, whether you are the governor or the President.”