- Fred Itua: “Okpebholo Constituted Investigative Committee To Probe Obaseki, Others”
- Osagie: “The Committee Is Politically Motivated, Okpebholo Is Hiding His Incompetence”
By Abiola Olawale
Tension has escalated between the media aides of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State and the immediate past governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, as they engage in a heated written exchanges regarding the formation of an investigative panel tasked with examining the actions of the previous administrations in Edo state.
The disagreement began when Okpebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, in a statement, announced that the new governor had approved the formation of a 14-member State Assets Verification Committee to investigate the administration of Obaseki.
Itua said that the committee is expected to be inaugurated on Tuesday, 26 November 2024, at Government House in Benin City, Edo State.
The statement read in part: “In furtherance of the governor’s initiative to set the state on the path of development and accountable leadership, the establishment of a State Assets Verification Committee has become imperative.
“Despite repeated calls for a comprehensive database of the assets and liabilities of the previous administration, the Godwin Obaseki-led government provided only scanty and limited information.
“In line with the governor’s campaign promise to ensure probity, accountability, and transparency in governance, a committee comprising respected sons and daughters of Edo State has been constituted.”
However, in a swift response, Crusoe Osagie, the media aide to Obaseki criticised the premise on which the decision of Okpebholo to probe the past administrations in the state is predicated.
Osagie, in a press statement, alleged that the constitution of the investigative committee by Okpebholo is more than just a legitimate effort to evaluate past governance.
According to him, the Governor is allegedly using tactics to “deflect attention from his shortcomings”
Osagie further maintained that the Obaseki administration distinguished itself by attaining an extraordinary degree of transparency in its governance practices.
He asserted that the commitment to transparency demonstrated by Obaseki not only cultivated trust among the residents of Edo State but also established a comprehensive framework for fiscal discipline.
Also, he noted that the administration successfully achieved numerous significant milestones across various sectors within the State.
The statement read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to a laughable and utterly ridiculous statement by the Monday Okpebholo’s administration setting up a 14-member State Assets Verification Committee to probe the administration of his predecessor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, who is globally acclaimed to have run one of the most transparent, accountable and prudent government’s in the history of Nigeria.
“This is another in the list of the barrage of meaningless probes which the governor and his directionless government have been embarking on since they got into Dennis Osadebey Avenue through the back door. From probing civil servants’ employment to probing Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and probing vehicles and other assets of government, among others, the governor-select has continued to show that he is bereft of ideas and lacks a clear vision for the development of the State and has therefore resorted to these charades of empty probes to buy time and distract from his incompetence and unpreparedness for office.
“He plans to treat Edo people like an undiscerning mob that you can distract with a show like the duel of gladiators in the Ancient Roman Colosseum. But Okpebholo will soon learn that he is the governor with the hardest job in Nigeria because the Edo people of Edo State are wise and can hardly be fooled. His diversionary probes may succeed in deceiving people in some States in Nigeria but certainly not those in Edo State.
“He should stop his futile and failed attempt to fool the people of Edo State who have already seen him for who he truly is: a politician out of his depth who has become a tool in the hands of his many godfathers who are thirsty for vendetta, having for long been denied access to the people’s patrimony by the immediate past government of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
“It is on record that the Obaseki administration achieved an unprecedented level of transparency in governance, laying a solid foundation for fiscal discipline, which was why it was able to accomplish the numerous milestones recorded across various sectors of the State, including the economy, education, agriculture, infrastructure, among others. Under Obaseki’s watch, the State developed its first asset register, containing all the government’s assets, which has since been handed over to the new government.
“So, we know what their plans are with the diversionary probes. It is just a smokescreen to mask the governors-select’s incompetence and unpreparedness for office, having come into power through a stolen mandate.
“We want to advise Okpebholo to focus on governance and improving the lives of Edo people rather than waste state resources masking his incompetence in meaningless probes. Edo people are watching, and his short-span government, which lasts until the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) reclaims its mandate duly given to it by Edo voters, will be judged not by the noise it makes but by the impact it delivers.”
