Isaac Fayose, a social commentator and younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, has faulted First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for urging wealthy musicians to reduce spending on luxury cars and increase charity, saying that he’s the owner of his wealth.
He argued that the government, as custodian of public funds, should lead by example rather than asking citizens to use personal wealth to support the poor.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News, Fayose made this statement while questioning how the First Lady could tell him to share his personal wealth with the poor when public funds are with the government. He said governors receive billions, citing one billion naira security vote for Oyo State and 500 million naira for Ekiti, yet insecurity persists and residents still struggle to secure themselves.
Fayose suggested that the government should use available funds to empower citizens directly. He proposed that states could allocate 500 million naira monthly as interest-free loans of 5 to 20 million naira for three years to help people work.
Using Ekiti as an example, he said one billion naira monthly could impact 1,000 families, reaching 48,000 people in four years of administration, including their dependents.
He defended musicians like Davido and Burna Boy, saying they have tried and done a lot for charity. He noted Davido donated almost 500 million naira about a year ago. Fayose criticized the idea of asking musicians to stop buying Lamborghinis and share their money to the poor while public money is used to buy private jets and buses for Renewed Hope re-election campaigns.
He further alleged that nearly 20 billion naira was spent on vote buying in Ekiti, with votes going for as much as 50,000 naira, and asked where that money came from. He argued such funds could lift many families out of poverty.
In his words, “How can you tell me? You have my commonwealth. I have personal wealth, and you that you are with my commonwealth.”
“You are telling me, the owner of my personal wealth, to now share with the poor, and the poor’s money is with you. This is a government that you give even your governors billions. Look at Oyo State. It collects like 1 billion naira on security votes. Ekiti collects about 500 million.”
