Ekiti State government has described as misleading online
publications, claiming that the state governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, promised to fund the movement of the corpse of the late Nollywood actress, Moji Olaiya, from Canada to Nigeria.
He said, “No official request has been made to the government in respect of the burial.”
Special Assistant to the state governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement in
Ado Ekiti.
He described as irresponsible, the comment made by a certain Olukayode Salako, claiming that Fayose declined request to assist with the flying of Moji Olaiya’s corpse to Nigeria.
His words: “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, who maintained that there was no official communication between the governor and Moji Olaiya’s family, disclosed, “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.”