BENIN CITY-The Chairman ,All Progressive Congress (APC) Edo State Col. David Imuse has said from available records since 2016 the Obaseki administration has boosted the domestic debt by N75Billion ,exclusive of over $280million thereby making the state the second most indebted in Nigeria
Even as he (Obaseki) has just forwarded a bill to the illegal House of Assembly for additional N25billion bond to further impoverish generations of Edo citizens yet unborn
Col David Imuse made the disclosure in a press statement to intimate the people of the orchestrated pains by the rudderless government in Edo State
He said the governor has abandoned all floods and erosion control projects and major roads across the state in different state of dilapidation, Benin City, though not in a riverine locality,has been turned into a swamp anytime it rains pointing out that recently got a refund of over N8billion from the federal government that his predecessor used in fixing some federal roads ,no construction is ongoing across the state ,so what did he do with the refunded N8b? He ask
The chairman further said Obaseki’s second tenure which was supposed to be a democratic setup is now a dictatorship as he has turn Edo State into a personal empire,he has lost every regards for the rule of law ,”the situation is so bad that he (Obaseki ) is today the lawmaker ,the judge and even the prison put together “.
Col Imuse pointed out that the central hospital Benin City was demolished by the governor with a plan to replace it with motor park fail because his anticipated MOU died on arrival as his partners were shocked that he destroyed a century old hospital for a garage and they backed out . Edo people want to know what he intends to do with the demolished hospital since his clandestine move have failed.
He also noted that the destructive streak of the governor took a a new dimension with his invasion of Irhirhi-Aruogba-Obazagbon-Ogheghe communities which he spuriously claims that the destruction was to make room for development of a new town project. This sinister claim is far from the truth as hidden intentions is to share the land for himself and his cronies before leaving office in 2024.
The APC Chairman further disclosed that Obaseki’s claims to have transformed education with the fictitious Edobest1.0 and Edobest 2.0 are hallmarks of his 2020 to Make Edo Grounded Again (MEGA)manifesto adding that Edo people knew that the so called Edo best 1.0 was merely the governor’s purchase in billions of Naira,of fairly used handheld devices for non- existent teachers .
He subsequently informed that the Nigerian Observer which was setup in 1968 by the late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia,it was one of the assets and legacies of the people ,it was closed down by the governor in June 2022, promising to reopen it under one month after restructuring it ,but in the past four months Mr Governor has not only auctioned its press he has also deployed all its staff to various ministries,turn the newspaper to an online medium and renamed it the ‘ECHO’ ,imported a moribond and non functional printing press with billions of Naira and employed a private individual who has employed new set of staffers as consultant.
“The truth is Mr Obaseki has sold the Nigerian Observer to his cronies under a dubious PPP arrangement that will die a natural death soon” he added .
He enumerated other missgivings of the Governor to include the multiplicity of MDAs, creating more ministries and agencies with duplicated functions and many spurious appointments that are alien to the laws of Edo State and again announcing a reduction in the number of government ministries, department and agencies ,is it not a mark of failure,he ask
The Chairman also noted that in six years the governor has signed more MOUs , partnership and agreements with individuals as well as organization than any state governor in Nigeria,the Benin Enterprise and industrial park,Gelegele seaport,Ossiomo power plant ,Ologbo modular refinery,Benin Technical College,Edo Tech Park , Edo Innovation Hub ,Benin Creative Hub , University of Innovation,Edo north airport project ,Emowaa are few of the comical results of these MOUs adding for somebody who has less than two years in office is proposing a scam he calls 30 year development plan for Edo State with a 2050 result date
He added that Edo s glory has been brutalized in the last six years by the government led by Mr Obaseki ,Edo must move forward and salute the resilience and patience of the good people of the state
