As the new Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo takes his oath of office today, Tuesday, November 12, 2024, before a galaxy of his Party men and women, one thing is clear and, so, can be taken for granted. He will use a toothbrush to go through everything his successor Godwin Obaseki did.
Okpebholo gave notice of that when he received the report from a 25-man Committee he set up as soon as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared him the winner of the still controversial Edo Governorship election to look into, about, everything Obaseki did while in office.
The Panel, headed by a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr Pius Odubu, under Senator Adams Oshiomhole, handed over its report to Okpebholo on Monday. Snippets read out by Odubu as he handed over the report to an obviously excited and satisfied Okpebholo, all about condemned Obaseki, already, to the golgotha. He promised to carry out the recommendations of the Panel to the letter.
Odubu: “A snippet of some of our recommendations will suffice. We recommended a review of all Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on the management of the Central Hospital and Stella Obasanjo Hospital, both in Benin. We recommended that the local and foreign debts must be accounted for. All employment carried out in recent past should be cancelled.
“The incoming Edo Governor should investigate the true ownership of Ossiomo Power Plant and Raddisson Blu Five-Star Hotel in Benin City. The same with Museum of West Africa Art (MOWAA), Edo, at the site of the demolished Central Hospital, Benin City. We deserve to know the state’s equity in these companies, as the outgoing government went blank on these enquiries.
“We also demanded a comprehensive review of the World Bank-funded Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme, and that a probe should be instituted to uncover its rather opaque operations. All major contracts issued by Edo State Government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed, as they appeared not to have followed due process, including payment advance awarded to the contractors.
“Obaseki’s government could not account for the number of teachers in Edo State. Hence, we demand a proper teacher head count.”
Okpebholo promised to look into the recommendations and act accordingly.
There is no love lost between Obaseki and Okpebholo. Obaseki, a few days ago let it be known that he knows the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, could pick him up as early as next week, but emphasised: “I am not afraid and would report to the EFCC on my own and by myself as soon as I am invited by the Commission.”
However, Okpebholo had since claimed that Obaseki has escaped from Nigeria, a claim that has been confirmed by not a few people to be false.
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