The Edo State Government mentioned it inherited a “bleeding government” from its predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, on November 12, 2024.
DAILY POST experiences that the Commissioner for Info and Technique, Prince Kassim Afegbua, acknowledged this on Monday at a press briefing marking one year of the governor in workplace.
“Edo State was bleeding earlier than we took over, and thank God that the governor is insisting on due course of and procurement legal guidelines in executing something he has to execute.
“This administration inherited rot and decay in infrastructure within the state. Governor Okpebholo is step by step fixing infrastructure by sensible governance,” he mentioned.
Kassim alleged that governance within the state was being run by international consultants who have been being paid vastly to the detriment of civil servants employed to carry out the work.
He opined that if not for Governor Okpebholo, the Edo Civil Service would have been a “joke of the century” as a result of the earlier government deserted civil servants whereas spending excessively on consultants.
He added that Governor Okpebholo has recovered the state’s civil service from consultants and injected new blood into the system.
The commissioner mentioned that out of the N1.6 trillion collected by former Governor Obaseki over his eight years in workplace, he left behind a debt of over N600 billion for the incumbent government.
He alleged that 41 companies have been established by the previous administration as conduit pipes to siphon state assets.
Kassim, who was a member of the Asset Verification Committee arrange by the governor, added that the speedy previous government paid N160 million month-to-month to consultants underneath the EdoBest Schooling Programme between 2018 and 2024.
He mentioned the committee was knowledgeable that the quantity was for writing lesson notes on tablets constructed on software that permits lecturers to key into them for seamless classroom instructing.
Kassim additional disclosed that of the $75 million allotted to EdoBest, there was solely a document of $5 million spent, leaving $70 million unaccounted for.
He added that the contractor dealing with the development of Stella Obasanjo Hospital was owed nearly N7.3 billion by the Obaseki government.
He additionally acknowledged that the advisor recruited by the earlier administration to supervise completion of the hospital was paid N965 million.
“By the point the Obaseki administration was exiting energy, the man [contractor] resigned his appointment when his price had been paid 100%. We prolonged an invite to him. We by no means noticed something. We by no means noticed him seem earlier than our investigative panel underneath the Asset Verification Committee.
“So far, we couldn’t even outline the work he did. Now, the government has given a marching order. These funds might be paid. Despite the fact that it was an over-bloated contract, the funds might be paid. And, very quickly, the Edo folks will reap the advantages of that individual hospital.
“So, on the highway venture alone, we inherited N187 billion of paid claims by contractors. And so, we’re simply paying for the halitosis of the previous of the Obaseki administration. And we’re saying that fairly than him leaping all around the world saying that he’s thanking the Edo folks, he ought to come house and reply for his failures and failings.
“The identical factor goes for the Edo Schooling Hub at Iyaro. You do not forget that the constructing was burnt down and it has now been repaired? The construction they’ve there, the noise they make on the market, you’d suppose that every thing has been finished and accomplished.
“However, once more, the identical sample of deserted tasks continues the place the government owes N3.3 billion in keeping with the contractor. Then you definitely now start to ask your self, how a lot is the overall price of such a venture that N3.3 billion will nonetheless be excellent? It signifies that, within the first occasion, they weren’t paying contractors.
“They have been simply telling them, go and take cash, get a financial institution assure, and do that job, we’ll pay you, once they have been dashing to do all this to get votes,” he added.
He acknowledged that to mark one 12 months in workplace, the governor would fee a litany of tasks throughout the state.
Afegbua mentioned the tasks to be commissioned minimize throughout roads, faculties, healthcare, and agriculture within the three senatorial districts.
In keeping with him, the commissioning of tasks would happen between November 7 and 9, 2025.
Whereas describing the Okpebholo-led government as sensible governance, he added that dignitaries from inside and outdoors the state are invited to grace the event.
“We’re comfortable that throughout your complete state, we’ve got about 60 to 63 faculties receiving consideration as a part of the first-phase intervention. Greater than half of those have been accomplished, a part of which we might be commissioning. We even have numerous major healthcare centres, about 60 of them, that we’ve got recovered. Now we have additionally put them to good use.
“In addition to commissioning tasks, we might be holding a colloquium on Wednesday to interrogate points and views encountered so far in the midst of this administration.
“We’re bringing in audio system, some from exterior the state and throughout the state, to talk to us, to interrogate us and set a proper tone for commencing the second-year journey. Governors might be there, there are fairly a lot of different ministers, and different dignitaries from throughout the nation. They’ll grace the event. It can additionally afford us the chance to reconstruct and recollect all our interventions in charting a brand new course within the means of rebuilding a brand new Edo,” he acknowledged.
