Ace broadcast journalist and Splash FM Staff, Oluwaseun Akinola has asked a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose to provide adequate evidence to the allegation that President Bola Tinubu gave Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde N50 billion as support for the January 2024 Bodija Explosion in Ibadan.
According to the ace broadcast journalist, he said the record available is that the Oyo State Government approved about ₦4.5 billion as a relief and compensation package for victims of the explosion.
“Former Governor Ayodele Fayose in a recent TV interview claimed that President Bola Tinubu released ₦50 billion to Governor Seyi Makinde as support for the January 2024 Bodija explosion in Ibadan.
“I attempted a quick review of official statements, reputable media reports, and publicly available government information and I couldn’t lay my hands on any confirmation from the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office, or any federal agency that such a ₦50 billion allocation or transfer was made specifically for the Bodija incident.
“As they say, ‘Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat.’ The burden of proof lies on the one who asserts, non on the one who denies.
“Ayodele Fayose must provide evidence of this payment because what is clearly on record is that the Oyo State Government approved about ₦4.5 billion as a relief and compensation package for victims of the explosion.
“This funding was approved by the Oyo State Executive Council and funded from state resources, with a committee inaugurated to oversee transparent disbursement to affected residents, covering medical care, rebuilding, and other losses .
“At the federal level, President Tinubu directed NEMA and other emergency agencies to provide support and relief services, but this intervention did not involve a publicly declared cash transfer of ₦50 billion to the state government.
“Available evidence shows that relief funding for the Bodija explosion was primarily a state-led intervention, supplemented by federal emergency response through agencies, not a direct ₦50 billion presidential bailout.”
