The Ekiti State Government has described the online publication claiming that the State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, promised to fund the freighting of Moji Olaiya's corpse from Canada to Nigeria, as misleading.
Premium Times reports that the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Monday, May 22, condemning the comment made by a certain Olukayode Salako, claiming that Governor Fayose had declined a request to assist in freighting the Nollywood actress' corpse to Nigeria.
He said, “It is totally irresponsible on the part
of the said Olukayode Salako, who is said to be the husband of Actress
Foluke Daramola to have taken to the online media to disparage the
person of the governor when even family members and genuine friends of
the deceased are mourning her and seeking means of according her a
befitting burial.”
The governor’s
spokesperson maintained that there was no official communication between
the governor and the family of the deceased.
He adds: “On
Thursday, last week, I was contacted on phone by a journalist friend,
Yomi Fabiyi, on the need for the Ekiti State Government to assist in
raising a sum of $15,000 needed to bring Moji Olaiya’s corpse to
Nigeria.
“My immediate response was that
an official request, via a letter, should be made and that the letter
will be presented to the governor.
"I gave him my email address to which I said the letter should be sent.
“On
Friday, I informed the Chief of Staff to the governor, Chief Dipo
Anisulowo of my telephone conversation with Yomi Fabiyi, and my response
that official letter should be written to the governor.
“Up till today, the letter has not been sent and as such, no official request has been made to the State Government.
“When
my attention was drawn to online publication that Governor Fayose had
elected to fund the flying of the deceased corpse to Nigeria, I called
the journalist who did the report and told him pointedly that no such
decision was taken by the governor. It was on the strength of this that
Mr Yomi Fabiyi issued a press statement on behalf of the Burial
Committee, stating that no request had been made to the government of
Ekiti State and the official letter requested was yet to be sent.
“It,
therefore, beats our imagination that certain character like Olukayode
Salako could take to the online media to make derogatory comments on the
governor, purportedly on behalf of the family.
“While
we condole with the Olaiya family of Ijesha Isu Ekiti, Moji Olaiya’s
friends, fans and colleagues in the movie industry, we wish to advise
that the family should saddle only responsible people with the task of
according their daughter a befitting burial.”
It was earlier reported that Governor Fayose had promised to freight Moji's corpse back to Nigeria.
The reports were later refuted by film maker, Yomi Fabiyi who is also the Publicity Secretary for the Nollywood actress' burial committee and family, in a post he shared on Instagram.
Fabiyi has however confirmed that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has paid for the repatriation of the late Moji Olaiya's remains from Canada to Nigeria as he promised.
