By Ayodele Oni
Following claim that 500 projects have been delivered across Edo state by the Federal government, the Coalition of Benin Socio-Cultural Organisations (CBSCO) has challenged the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, to publish details of projects his ministry reportedly executed in the State.
In a statement by its Coordinator General, Osazee Amas Edobor, and Secretary, Influence Enobun, the coalition said its request was aimed at promoting transparency and accountability, stressing that it should not be interpreted as a personal attack on the minister.
The group urged the minister to make public a comprehensive register of the projects, including their locations, local government areas, senatorial districts, contract values, contractors, completion status and commissioning dates.
According to the coalition, such disclosure would enable residents of Edo State to independently verify the projects and assess the distribution of federal interventions across the state’s three senatorial districts.
CBSCO also raised concerns over what it alleged was an uneven distribution of projects, claiming that Edo North, the minister’s senatorial district, appeared to have benefited more than Edo South, the state’s oil-producing region.
The organisation recalled that the Benin National Congress (BNC) had previously petitioned President Bola Tinubu and other relevant authorities over what it described as an imbalance in the allocation of federal projects in the state.
It further referred to reports of National Assembly committee proceedings in which lawmakers reportedly questioned the distribution of projects captured under the ministry’s 2024 budget, including those located in Edo State.
The coalition acknowledged that projects previously associated with the ministry in Edo include road construction, solar streetlight installations, transformer projects and a free medical outreach programme in Auchi.
However, it maintained that the minister’s broader claim of delivering 500 projects should be supported with verifiable documentation.
CBSCO proposed a joint inspection of the projects involving community leaders, civil society organisations and the media to verify their existence, completion status and impact.
The group also called on the Federal Government to ensure equitable distribution of development projects across Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South, particularly in communities affected by oil and gas exploration.
According to the coalition, making the project details publicly available would be consistent with the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency under the Renewed Hope Agenda and would also provide an opportunity for the minister to substantiate his claim.
“The people of Benin and Edo deserve to see, not just hear, what has been done in their name,” the statement said
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